1 Under The Radar Player For Every NBA Team- Western Conference, Pacific Division

Golden State Warriors- De'Anthony Melton:

The Warriors got a steal this off-season in Melton as he is a true 3-and-D guard with elite athleticism. He has never put up eye-popping numbers, but he has been a double-digit scorer each of the last three seasons and has shot no worse than 36% from deep since 2020.

Losing Klay Thompson hurts, but between multiple additions, the Warriors should be able to fill the void. Buddy Hield is one of them and he is a known commodity as he is one of the league's best shooters. Melton, on the other hand, has flown under the radar for a while as he has bounced around teams and missed most of last season due to injury.

Of all the options the Warriors have to start next to Steph Curry, Melton makes the most sense as he complements him the best. Steph is the greatest shooter to ever play the game, but he isn't as great defensively. Melton on the other hand is a good shooter but an even better defender. He is long and athletic and can take care of the best perimeter player on the other team each night. Golden State has a tough roster to figure out as they have a lot of players that they can use in different ways based on the matchup.

With such a deep roster Melton may not see 30 minutes a night, but he is an impactful player, and he should get more notice leaguewide on a team like the Warriors.

Los Angeles Clippers- Kris Dunn:

After a rough start to his career, Kris Dunn has turned things around and become a legitimate rotation player in the NBA. He has always been a good defender, but he finally put together a nice offensive game that allows him to stay on the court. Early in his career, he was a liability on offense as he could not shoot the ball. Now, he is at least respectable from beyond the arc even if it's on low volume - which can keep defenders honest against him. Dunn is a good all-around player on both ends of the floor, and now that he figured things out on offense, he can help the Clippers.

Along with becoming a better shooter, Dunn has been much healthier as of late than he ever has been. He played in 66 games last year which was the most he's played in since his rookie season back in 2016-2017. He has been hurt and at times not even on a roster. In 2020-2021 he played just four games for the Hawks and in 2021-2022 he played just 14 games for the Trailblazers. Late in 2022-2023, the Jazz picked him up for 22 games and essentially revitalized his career. He averaged 13 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.6 assists a game during his time with the Jazz that year and he earned himself another contract.

In 2023-2024, Dunn didn't have the same statistical season as he did the previous season, but he was impactful while on the court and showed he is a legit NBA player. That earned him a 3-year deal with the Clippers and an opportunity to stick on a roster for multiple years.

Dunn is a good player and he should make an impact for the Clippers this season. The roster is full of strong perimeter defenders and he is one of them. When watching the Clippers be on the lookout for Dunn having a bigger impact than expected.

Los Angeles Lakers- Dalton Knecht:

LeBron James is one of the greatest players of all time and his greatest skill may be his playmaking. He has a career average of 7.4 assists a game and is fourth all-time in assists with 11,013 assists. He is an elite passer, but he needs the players around him to hit open shots and that is something the Lakers have missed lately. This off-season they attempted to solve that issue with Knecht. He is who is a rookie out of Tennessee and was the best shooter in the draft. He surprisingly fell out of the lottery during the draft, but the Lakers ended his slide by selecting him 17th overall.

Knecht is thought of as a pure shooter but he is more than that. He is an athletic 3-level scorer who can play both on and off the ball. Last season at Tennesee he averaged 22 points a game and shot 40% from three. He was a dominant scorer and showed the ability to take over games at times as he had numerous 30-plus point games and even a 40-point game vs Kentucky.

He was viewed as a lock for the lottery in the draft, but he fell on draft night, and the Lakers are extremely lucky. Knecht will come off the bench this season, but he is already arguably the best shooter on the roster and should play a big role because of that. He will be able to fly off screens or spot up from beyond the arc on offense. LeBron hasn't had a shooter like Knecht in quite some time and having Dalton will open up the floor for James.

The Lakers hired J.J. Reddick as their head coach this off-season and he was an elite shooter while in the NBA. Reddick will know exactly how to use a player with Knecht's skill lever because they possess similarities with their games. He should be put in a position to succeed right away and could be a dark horse for Rookie of the Year. Even if the stats are not eye-popping, Knecht will have a great impact on the Lakers this season due to his shooting.

Phoenix Suns- Tyus Jones:

Jones finally got the opportunity to start last year after being one of the league's best backup point guards for some time, but the Wizards were not good and it impacted Jones this off-season. He had to settle for a minimum contract with the Suns this off-season as not many teams were willing to make him their starting point guard.

Pheonix on the other hand desperately lacked a pure point guard last year and couldn't believe Jones was available for the minimum. Despite having a fantastic trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal, the Suns offense lacked direction and it was because they had no one to run the offense. With Jones, they have someone who doesn't need to shoot much and can get the ball to where it needs to go at all times.

He isn't a flashy player, but he can run an offense and take care of the ball. He had a career year last season as he averaged 12 points and 7 assists a game with just 1 turnover per game. Jones has never averaged more than 1 turnover per game and now that he has elite players next to him he won't have to do too much with the ball.

The Suns ceiling is the finals, but they need other players to step up alongside Durant, Booker, and Beal, and Tyus Jones has the best chance to elevate their team out of the remaining players on the roster. He is going to run the offense and set everyone up to succeed and will make a notable difference even if the box score doesn't show it.

Sacramento Kings- Keon Ellis:

Ellis came on late last season after both Malik Monk and Kevin Huerter suffered injuries late in the season. He went undrafted in 2022 out of Alabama and signed with the Kings on a 2-way contract. He didn't play much during his rookie season, but last season he had more opportunity. He played in 57 games last season and started 21. Ellis only averaged 5 points a game last year, but as a starter, he averaged 9 points a game and shot 40% from three. The shooting numbers are good and the stats as a whole are solid, but defensively is where Ellis excels.

Last season he started at shooting guard in the Kings play-in game vs. the Warriors, and he followed around Steph Curry all night long. Curry finished the game with 22 points on 50% shooting, but he had 6 turnovers and was having trouble with Ellis all game. He made a name for himself that night with his great defensive performance that included 3 steals and 3 blocks along with 15 points on the other end of the floor.

Both Huerter and Monk will be back this season so the opportunity for Ellis may be limited, but the Kings need perimeter defense and he brings exactly that. When the Kings get in close games and need stops down the stretch look for Ellis to be inserted into the game to guard to opposing team's best perimeter player.

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