Looking back at Golden State’s early November nights, it’s wild how quickly everything shifted. One moment you’re watching De’Anthony Melton drill five threes against the Thunder, grabbing 10 rebounds like some kind of defensive savant, and thinking “damn, Kerr might have actually cracked the code.” The next? Season over, ACL torn, and suddenly Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody have the weight of the season on their shoulders.
The cruel irony? Melton’s injury came in exactly the kind of marquee win that should’ve been a building block, not a catalyst for unplanned development. November 12th against Dallas - a team that had just poached Klay Thompson and was riding high off their Finals run.