De'Anthony Melton Is Outshooting Klay Thompson for the Warriors

De'Anthony Melton is outshooting Klay Thompson for the Warriors.

Through eight games this season, Melton is making 46 percent of his three-point attempts on 5.1 tries per game.

Thompson, now with the Miami Heat, is shooting 42.5 percent from deep over the same stretch.

Melton signed with Golden State in the fall of 2024 to fill the role Thompson had held for a decade.

His first season ended after just six games when he tore his ACL.

But this year, the 28-year-old combo guard is putting up numbers that would have made the original Splash Brother proud.

Melton's 46 percent mark is a dramatic leap from the 29.4 percent he shot last season.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr attributed that dip to injuries — specifically, Melton's thumbs.

"General wear and tear hindered him as the season went on," Kerr said.

This season, Melton's shot quality has been noticeably better.

Almost all of his 41 three-point attempts have come off the catch — only nine have come after at least one dribble.

NBA tracking data shows that his pull-up jumper attempts have dropped from 2.2 per game last year to 1.3 per game this season.

Most of his catch-and-shoot looks have been open, meaning the defender was at least four feet away when he released the ball.

Melton said he focused on slowing down his mechanics during the offseason.

"I had to really just slow down and understand my shot and understand what works for me," Melton said after making two late three-pointers against the Clippers on Sunday.

"Sometimes I feel like I was rushing my jumper just to get it up. But now, I feel like I’m just being calm and shooting it, and whatever happens, happens."

Thompson, meanwhile, is enjoying a strong start with the Heat.

He hit a game-winning three-pointer against the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night, finishing with 30 points in a 117-116 overtime win.

Thompson has scored 30, 19 and 25 points across his last three games.

He is set to return to the Bay Area on Thursday to face his former team for the first time since leaving Dallas.

"The Warriors are playing real well," Thompson said Wednesday.

"It's going to be a good challenge."

"It's going to be awesome seeing all the guys I grew up with and just going to be a special night. I only get to go there once this season, so I'm going to soak it all up."

Kerr said seeing Thompson and Andrew Wiggins in Heat uniforms is still "strange."

"Those first couple times are really bizarre, and then you get used to it," Kerr said.

"And it's a reminder that most of us in the NBA end up with multiple teams."

"It's so rare to play with one team. You end up competing against friends and sometimes even family."

"But it'll be great to see both guys…two just incredible contributors to the Warriors' championships…both Klay and Wiggins are wonderful human beings and great teammates, and it'll be great."

Melton acknowledged the weight of replacing a franchise icon.

"The lingering effect of him? Yeah, they definitely had a great run," Melton said of Thompson's impact.

"But by the time I was getting here, it was kind of toward the end of it."

Thompson's tenure with the Mavericks lasted two underwhelming seasons before Dallas benched him.

The Heat acquired him in a trade, and Miami is now discovering why the Mavericks made that move.