De'Anthony Melton

PG, Memphis Grizzlies

De'Anthony Melton, who is dealing with a back injury, will not appear in the Grizzlies' matchup against New Zealand on Tuesday.

This comes as no surprise. Melton was recently ruled out for 4-8 weeks after suffering a stress reaction in his back. Given that Melton is unlikely to begin the regular season healthy, he is not a great draft candidate.

Source: Memphis Grizzlies PR on Twitter

De'Anthony Melton

PG, Memphis Grizzlies

A stress reaction has been discovered in De'Anthony Melton's back and he will be sidelined for 4-to-8 weeks.

Melton is undergoing "off-loading and treatment" to resolve but should return to full basketball activities in that 4-to-8 week timeline, per the Grizzlies. It's a tough break, as he was going to be in the mix for a bench role in the backcourt. He remains a solid deep-league target for defensive stats out of a guard spot but you probably won't need to spend a draft pick outside of the deepest formats now. This should alleviate some of the playing time pressure on Tyus Jones, Grayson Allen and Josh Jackson, among others.

Source: Chris Mannix on Twitter

Josh Jackson

SF, Memphis Grizzlies

Chris Herrington of the Daily Memphian noted that since being traded, Josh Jackson has been notably absent both in person and in conversation with Grizzlies, saying that he "has not been seen and rarely mentioned."

Jackson's NBA career has been a trainwreck both on and off the floor, having dealt with absent-minded play as well as an arrest at a Miami music festival. In contrast, Herrington also notes that De'Anthony Melton, who was dealt to Memphis along with Jackson, has been seen quite a bit with the team and staff this season. Melton has a much better shot of seeing the floor between these two, while Jackson has a lot to figure out before he can.

Source: Daily Memphian

De'Anthony Melton

PG, Memphis Grizzlies

The Grizzlies are set to acquire De'Anthony Melton from the Suns along with Josh Jackson and two second-rounders in exchange for Kyle Korver and Jevon Carter.

It was surprising when Melton wasn't on the Suns' Summer League roster earlier today, but perhaps this is why. It's a worthwhile gamble for Memphis, who adds two young players with upside for a veteran they weren't going to play and a sophomore with lower upside than Melton. Melton started 31 games (50 apperances) for the Suns last season and flashed his defensive prowess with 1.4 steals and 0.5 blocks in 19.7 mpg, but he has a long way to go on the offensive end. He remains an intriguing dynasty asset and could make a bigger splash if Memphis doesn't retain Delon Wright.

Source: Adrian Wojnarowski on Twitter

De'Anthony Melton

G, Phoenix Suns

De'Anthony Melton scored six points on 2-of-4 shooting with three rebounds, an assist and three steals on Tuesday.

Melton logged 19 minutes off the bench and was able to handle business on the defensive end which is something we've come to expect. He was known for his defensive prowess since college and it showed as he averaged 1.3 steals a game, but his offensive flaws were on full display this year. He missed some time due to an ankle injury and also hopped back and forth between the G-league as well. As a starter, Melton only averaged 5.0 points and 0.6 3s on .359 shooting. He's a streaky shooter who plays passive almost to the point of being invisble on offense at times but the steals come in at an elite level when he starts. There are a couple paths for him to become fantasy relevant, but it relies on his offensive game catching up to his defense.

Tyler Johnson

G, Phoenix Suns

Tyler Johnson (sore right knee) has been ruled out of Saturday’s game vs. the Grizzlies.

This will be the eighth consecutive game Johnson will have missed due to knee pain. He might make it back at some point and it’ll be De’Anthony Melton holding down the fort until he does.

Source: Duane Rankin on Twitter

De'Anthony Melton

G, Phoenix Suns

De'Anthony Melton scored zero points on 0-of-1 shooting with three rebounds, an assist and a steal on Monday.

Melton gets pulled quickly when he doesn't bring high energy to the floor and tonight he was suffocated by the Jazz defense. He along with Mikal Bridges (one points, four rebounds, an assist and a steal) are just steals streamers with Bridges being the guy you want to target here. Elie Okobo scored four points with two rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block in 26 minutes of action.

Tyler Johnson

G, Phoenix Suns

Tyler Johnson (sore right knee) is questionable to play the Kings on Saturday.

If Johnson can’t go, De’Anthony Melton should get another start. Melton has a high steals rate, but his upside is severely capped starting alongside usage monster Devin Booker.

Source: Gina Mizell on Twitter

De'Anthony Melton

G, Phoenix Suns

De'Anthony Melton started on Monday and scored zero points on 0-of-2 shooting to go with two rebounds, four assists and a steal.

Melton drew the start for Tyler Johnson (sore right knee) but had most of the minutes go to Jamal Crawford because the Suns couldn't get anything going offensively. He's got the talent to deliver fantasy value, but the situation just isn't ripe for him this season.

De'Anthony Melton

G, Phoenix Suns

De'Anthony Melton started at point guard on Saturday night and was able to notch six points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals in 29 minutes of action.

We're still incredulous that Melton got a DNP on Friday with Tyler Johnson out, but he had a solid showing tonight. He's a talented defender that can help deep-league owners out with steals and dimes as long as he's in the rotation, but we can't project him with any confidence given how frequently the Suns have cast him aside.

De'Anthony Melton

G, Phoenix Suns

De'Anthony Melton will start at point guard with Tyler Johnson (right knee) out on Saturday.

The Suns started Troy Daniels in Johnson's place last night, but they'll opt for a true point guard in Melton tonight. The rookie has a nice stat set and should be looked at as a potential steals specialist as long as he's playing reasonable minutes.

Source: Andrew Lopez on Twitter

Elie Okobo

G, Phoenix Suns

Rookie Elie Okobo has been assigned to the Suns’ G-League squad.

With De’Anthony Melton returning from injury and Tyler Johnson entrenched as the starter, the Suns want Okobo to get more reps with their developmental team. There’s no fantasy relevance here.

Source: Gina Mizell on Twitter

De'Anthony Melton

G, Phoenix Suns

De'Anthony Melton (sprained right ankle) played in his first game since January 24 on Saturday, posting four points with two rebounds, three assists and a steal in 14 minutes.

Melton was expected to be available for Thursday's game but didn't see the floor, though it's possible that he didn't make it in time as he was meeting up with the team following a G-League assignment. With Tyler Johnson in town, Melton will top out as a deep-league steals specialist.