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De’Anthony Melton may go by the nickname ‘Mr. Do Something’ but for the night it should be ‘Mr. Do Everything.’ The Philadelphia 76ers guard put forth a career performance in which he set a personal best for points and steals. He ended the matchup with 33 points, four rebounds, two assists, and seven steals. Melton connected on eight of his 12 three-point attempts and shot 11-16 from the field overall. His impressive two-way effort was vital to the Sixers’ getting the victory over the Lakers as he hit some massive three-pointers down the stretch that the Sixers desperately needed.
When asked about the performance following the game, Melton did his best to downplay his strong play. As he put it, “Honestly on offense my teammates were just finding me…They kept leaving me open so I just kept shooting it, kept shooting with confidence.” He said he was not surprised this was the case due to the number of other members of the Sixers that commanded so much gravity and was happy to capitalize. Melton also did the postgame press conference with his jersey in his sweatshirt pocket and mentioned he was planning on giving it to his mom as a remembrance of the performance.
Favorite Part of the Performance
There were a ton of positive takeaways from Melton’s overall play, but when asked his favorite part the scrappy guard brought up the defense. As he put it, “(The) seven steals honestly. Apparently, I think I was tied with Matisse (Thybulle) so just, you know, I wanted to beat him.” Melton also was asked if any of the individual steals stood out during the game, but could not pick a favorite.
Doc Rivers also spoke extremely highly of Melton’s activity on defense during his postgame presser. As he put it, “It was unbelievable. His shooting is elite, especially from the break, which is rare. Most guys are corner shooters. His hands…literally he had half of our deflections in one basketball game.” Rivers continued to rave about Melton and praised him as the most impactful member of the Sixers in the victory.
Relationship with Tyrese Maxey
The 24-year-old was also asked if he was aware that he hit a career-high during the matchup. Melton admitted he did by stating, “I mean I kinda noticed just talking with Tyrese (Maxey) and stuff like that. After I hit a couple, I was just talking with him so I noticed but I didn’t want to change how I was playing so I just wanted to make sure I was ready and attacked when I needed.” After further being prodded on what Maxey was saying, Melton joked that Maxey told him if he did not keep going he was “soft.”
Another blossoming storyline surrounding Melton has been his growing relationship with Maxey. The two have shown some intriguing chemistry on the court and Melton admitted he misses having him out there. Following Sixers practice on Friday he put it, “Having him not on this road trip – I ain’t gonna lie – it was a little sad. Seeing him back is good. He’s always smiling, he’s always joking and stuff. Just having him around the team is good for us. It’s positive energy,” per Lauren Rosen of the Sixers.
There was a great deal of excitement when the Sixers elected to trade for Melton this offseason, and he has more than lived up to the hype. Coming into the game he was averaging 10.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 2.0 steals. He was vital to navigating through the shorthanded stretch and will continue to play an important role as the Sixers continue to get healthy. Mr. Do Something has more than earned his nickname and Philadelphia has benefited from his game-changing abilities greatly.
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