I think the plan for Melo is what they hoped Joe Johnson would've been last year. Melo certainly has more left in the tank. A Gordon Melo bench certainly has more firepower. He doesn't need to be able to defend starters…
— Matt Perkins (@mwp401) July 23, 2018
I agree that while he’ll likely start, it’s essentially a bench role. Where I disagree is that “[h]e doesn’t need to be able to defend starters[.]” I don’t think this is really an accurate way to look at the relationship between players and lineups. Teams don’t play their five starters and then sub in an entirely different set.