De’Anthony Melton, who was expected to be selected as high as the mid-20s in the first round of the NBA draft on Thursday night in Brooklyn, ultimately faced a longer wait.
The former USC guard was drafted midway through the second round, slipping to the Houston Rockets, who snagged him with the No. 46 overall pick.
Despite a fall into the second round, it appeared to be a promising pairing, with the analytics-minded franchise settling on Melton, a 20-year-old player who had earned favor among a variety of analytics experts over the past year due to his versatility.
During his freshman season for the Trojans in 2016-17, Melton averaged 8.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.0 blocked shot. Only one other freshman (Dwyane Wade, then at Marquette) had averaged as much across all five categories since 1992-93.
Melton’s selection was followed three picks later by his former USC teammate, Chimezie Metu, the springy forward who was drafted by the San Antonio Spurs with the No. 49 overall pick.
They were the first USC players to be drafted since Nikola Vucevic in 2011, ending the longest drought in the program’s history. Previously, no more than five years had passed between USC’s NBA draft picks.
There had been 479 players drafted between Vucevic, the 16th overall pick in 2011, and Melton.
Melton’s draft stock was likely impacted after he missed his sophomore season with the Trojans due to a connection to the FBI’s investigation into bribery and corruption in college basketball.
USC, which declared Melton ineligible a month into the season, led an internal investigation that determined Dave Elliott, a family friend, had accepted “extra benefits,” leaving Melton in potential violation of NCAA amateurism rules, a reason it opted to withhold him from games. Melton was never accused of wrongdoing.
Federal prosecutors alleged in a federal complaint last September that Elliott accepted $5,000 from Christian Dawkins and financial advisor Munish Sood.
Melton, who also went to Crespi High, continued to practice with the Trojans before withdrawing from school in February to enter the draft.
Rockets general manager Daryl Morey told reporters in Houston late Thursday that Melton’s season-long absence contributed to his slide – and to their benefit.
“He’s a guy, who if he had played, we feel pretty comfortable he would have been a top-20 pick,” Morey said. “I think he was a little out of sight, out of mind. That played into our advantage, that he was still available.”
Trojans coach Andy Enfield said in an interview earlier this month he believed Melton would have been a lottery pick had he appeared in games as a sophomore.
While versatile, Melton’s best attribute is seen as his defense. A 6-foot-3 combo guard who is able to defend points guards, as well as shooting guards, in the backcourt, his 6-8 wingspan helps him disrupt passes and opposing ball handlers. Melton’s 1.9 steals per game were second in the Pac-12 in the 2016-17 season.
As with Melton, Metu left school early to enter the draft, bypassing his senior season. He also sat out the National Invitation Tournament to end last season.
As a junior last season, Metu, a 6-10 presence who might play power forward or center in the NBA, averaged 15.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.7 blocked shots per game.
The Lawndale High product was a gifted dunker for the Trojans and compiled 214 rim-rattling finishes over his three-year career.
In a statement following his selection, Enfield said, “Chimezie will have a long career in the NBA. He is a hard worker and has a great skill set for someone his size.”
The selection of Melton and Metu also marked the first time since 2009 that USC had two players drafted in the two-round draft. In 2009, both DeMar DeRozan and Taj Gibson were first-round picks.
Neither point guard Jordan McLaughlin nor shooting guard Elijah Stewart was drafted. The departed seniors were considered more fringe prospects, but both are expected to join Summer League teams.
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