How Warriors ‘ballhawks’ Will Richard, De’Anthony Melton feed off each other

SAN FRANCISCO – Everybody remembers their first love, figuratively and literally.Football found its way into De’Anthony Melton’s heart before basketball ever did. Melton grew up in Los Angeles playing quarterback, safety and a little bit of running back. As he got older and sprouted up, Melton became more of a receiver with a little bit of time at tight end and stopped playing the sport after his freshman year to focus on basketball at Crespi High School, where he won back-to-back state titles and left the school as its all-time leading scorer. Excelling on the football field is in Warriors rookie Will Richard’s blood. His father, Al, was a defensive lineman at Clemson from 1989 through 1992. Will also was a defensive lineman at an early age, but basketball is what he gravitated towards, putting in the work to completely transform his body into what it now is as a spry 6-foot-3, 210-pound wing.With Melton taking Richard under his wing from Day 1, football backgrounds seep into how the two play defense on the hardwood. The Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks would be proud of Melton and Richard alike for how much pride they take in disrupting opposing offenses in every way possible. “That’s exactly what it is – ballhawks,” Melton told NBC Sports Bay Area in a sit-down interview on the Warriors’ practice court. “We both love to get our hands on deflections, lock up our defender, cause havoc. That’s how I was early in my career, and I saw I was able to get on the floor by playing defense and just doing everything. Offensively, I just tried to instill that into him, to be confident. It only works if you’re confident. “We don’t want no one-way players. Be known as a two-way player and be known as someone that can help them on both sides of the floor.” The start to Melton’s career was an instant introduction to the business side of the NBA. Melton was selected No. 46 overall by the Houston Rockets in 2018 and his two-way ability impressed many in summer league. Yet he was traded to the Phoenix Suns two months after being drafted. That 2018-19 Suns team was an extremely young squad, making it hard for Melton to learn the ropes from a veteran’s perspective. He clung to Richaun Holmes, who only had three years of professional experience to his name. In an unorthodox way, Melton realized how vital having good vets around you is from an early stage. “It’s really important. Man, young dudes coming into this league, young or first year, it don’t matter. It’s way different,” Melton said. “It’s a whole different ballgame. There’s a lot that goes on off the court, on the court and in between the lines. Sometimes it feels like it’s a whirlwind, but having vets can kind of calm you down and having them teach you certain things is important.”From Steph Curry to Draymond Green to Jimmy Butler to Al Horford and more, the Warriors are full of veterans and champions who have seen it all and have an answer for everything. Being a helping hand to Richard was natural to Melton. He saw his own game in him during the draft process, loving players who prioritize defense first and still stay aggressive on offense. “For me and Will, we’ve built a relationship talking to each other and seeing how stuff is going and seeing how the league is. Especially for me, I can see my game in him: Long arms, wants to get it done on the defensive end and still be able to shoot the ball,” Melton said. “I’ve tried to give him little tips and tricks of what I’ve seen and learned throughout my career and just try to help him learn earlier.” The similarities were easy to spot for Richard, too. “When we get in, we know we got to provide a little burst on both ends of the floor,” Richard says. “It’s fun. He plays the game the right way. He spaces the floor, takes the right shots and on defense he hounds other teams’ guards and stuff like that and is always in the right spot. “I try to take some of that into my game.”It’s Dec. 29th and the Warriors are on the second night of a back-to-back in Brooklyn, one game after a frustrating overtime loss in Toronto. Melton didn’t play the previous night because of injury management coming off his torn ACL from last season. He doesn’t play both sides of back-to-backs but is now in the starting lineup as his minutes restriction loosens. Melton likely saw what many saw in Toronto: If he plays that game, the Warriors’ chances of winning rise exponentially. Down the stretch, Melton was a difference maker. And his rookie was right there beside him. They were the ones who shut the door on the Nets even having a chance at a comeback win in Brooklyn. Nets rookie Egor Demin had the hot hand and made his seventh 3-pointer the last time his team had the ball. Melton sprinted step-for-step with him off a screen and swatted his try for trey No. 8, ran the floor to the other side and caught Butler’s Hail Mary pass over his shoulder. To add insult to injury, Melton faked out a flying Demin and laid it in for two to increase the Warriors’ lead to eight with 75 seconds left. Look at the Dubs' DEFENSE pic.twitter.com/zxGvqLWnFx — Warriors on NBCS (&commat;NBCSWarriors) December 30, 2025 Then it was his protege’s time to shine. Richard jumped Demin right when he went into DHO (dribble handoff) action with Michael Porter Jr. The rookie took two dribbles down the court and rose for a dunk that put the nail in the Nets’ coffin. He hung from the rim, slapped the backboard and let all of Barclays Center hear his roar. Nobody was better than Richard in that fourth quarter. All 10 of his points came in the fourth quarter, along with both of his steals and two of his three assists. Richard was a plus-13 in the fourth quarter of the Warriors’ win and a plus-22 overall, second to Melton’s plus-26, who had 10 points, eight rebounds, two steals and one blocked shot.“In Brooklyn, just the way we were causing havoc. He stole the DHO and slammed. It’s stuff like that that is important,” Melton said. “It’s stuff like that where I tell him, ‘This is who we need to be.’ I tell him all the time, ‘Dudes shouldn’t be scoring on us.’ And I don’t give him no grace with certain things. Sometimes he’ll be like, ‘I got you, I got you. I’m still learning.’ I’ll just be like, ‘I feel you, but the little stuff, let’s just get it to the curb now.’” Will Richard is EVERYWHERE pic.twitter.com/5Acn8dZyZj — Warriors on NBCS (&commat;NBCSWarriors) December 30, 2025 The teaching never stops and Melton doesn’t let up. The same game is a prime example. “Me and Jimmy were trapping somebody and he tried to come in and rip it out and get the steal but the dude kicked it out for a three,” Melton remembers. “I grabbed him to the side and was just like, ‘Bro, what are you doing? Me and Jimmy are already doubling, just fan out and stay out.’ He was like, ‘Yeah, I know. I thought I got this. I tried to get the steal.’ So I’m like, ‘I know, but just be solid bro. Just be solid and everything else is gonna take care of the rest.’” At the end of our interview, Richard is walking onto the practice court when Melton looks at me and nods. Even before he starts speaking, he’s already giving his teammate respect. The eventual words quietly praise his maturity. Warriors players and coaches speak highly of how Richard listens and absorbs information. Coming off a championship his final year in college, the 23-year-old is all ears. “I’m new to this,” Richard says. “First year is going to be about learning anyway. I really took that to heart.”When Melton still was rehabbing his ACL, he’d sit next to Richard on the bench and tell him what he’s seeing, pinpointing keys, especially on the defensive end. Melton points out tendencies and preaches being disciplined. He wants him to know great scorers are going to get their points but making it hard on them is how it has to go. Confidence is what this all comes back to. Confidence in yourself while sapping it away from your opponent. “If you can make it tough on them, there’s money to be made. I tell him that,” Melton says. “With certain people on the floor, there’s money to be made. That’s where you make your money at, guarding these dudes and being that player. And then offensively always being confident in your shot. Just shoot it with the utmost confidence and live with the results.” Richard’s 1.2 steals per game are tied with Cooper Flagg for third among rookies. Flagg was the No. 1 pick in the draft, and Richard was taken 55 picks later. The other two ahead of them are Jeremiah Fears (No. 7 overall pick) and VJ Edgecombe (No. 3 overall pick). Richard also ranks fifth among rookies with a 60.5 true shooting percentage. The Warriors have played 33 games since Melton returned on Dec. 4. Even while missing five of those games, Melton leads the Warriors in plus-minus as a plus-219 over 28 games in that span. Second is Butler as a plus-104. Melton has the seventh-best plus/minus in the NBA, one point behind Victor Wembanyama, since coming back one year to the date of his ACL surgery. Together, Melton and Richard have a 124.0 offensive rating – the highest between teammates for the two of them – and a 105.4 defensive rating for an 18.6 net rating in 24 games and 213 minutes. Melton leads the Warriors in steals since Dec. 4 with 44, and Richard is second at 38.Of course, Melton’s message begins and ends with how he and Richard approach defense as ballhawks. The extra chip on their shoulder comes with the territory of second-round picks. Being doubted never goes away. It’s personal once, it’s personal forever. “You don’t have as many chances as the other guys. That’s what I’ve been trying to explain to him,” Melton says. “At the least, man, dudes shouldn’t be scoring on us. I don’t care what you say, what you think, dudes should not be scoring on us.” Message received. Richard hears his vet loud and clear.Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast

How Warriors ‘ballhawks’ Will Richard, De’Anthony Melton feed off each other

Trending News