There are troubled times ahead in Golden State right now. Veteran Klay Thompson has now seen his role of being a great three-level scorer slashed down to a spark off the bench.
After starting 727 straight games, Klay Thompson came off the bench Thursday against the Utah Jazz for the first time since his rookie year. After hearing about his limited role with the team, Klay Thompson had this to say:
“I found out this morning,” Thompson said after the game. “Me and Steve [Kerr] had a good talk about it. You can do two things: you can pout or you can go out there and respond. I thought I did the latter very well tonight. Especially you know turnovers, missed a few boxouts though, more importantly, I realized I’m going to play a ton of minutes. So, you just gotta let the ego go when you think of coming off the bench and all that.”
After hearing the news of his benching, he showed nothing but gratitude in his debut as a part of the second unit and had his best game of the entire season, dropping 35 points, 21 of which came from the three-point line and put Golden State back into the win column after suffering a close defeat to the Los Angeles Clippers the night before.
“Just got to let the ego go when you think of coming off the bench and all that. I thought about Manu Ginóbili,” Thompson said. “That guy has four rings and a gold medal. Came off the bench his whole career, and I don’t think anyone looks down on his Hall of Fame candidacy. He’s one of the greats. I embraced it before the tip.”
Klay Thompson took his role in stride and delivered, not just for his team, but for himself as well.
Klay Thompson’s Foggy Future in Golden State
After talks of a trade being put in place before the trade deadline, it was evident that the Golden State Warriors were showing a sense of urgency to get any life remaining from the once most dangerous team in the league and that willingness has brought them eight wins out of their last ten. Exactly what you’d want to see from a team with such a high ceiling.
However, outside of the team’s all-around success, Klay Thompson has still struggled to show that he’s still that All-Pro caliber player that fans have yearned for after returning from his devastating Achilles injury in the 2019 NBA championship against the Toronto Raptors. He would return midway through the 2022 year but not to his past self.
Fast forward to present-day Klay Thompson and he is now averaging the worst shooting year of his career with averages of 42.1% from the field and a shocking 37.3% from three where he’s mostly been over the 40% mark throughout his career.
As of right now, Klay Thompson is set to become a free agent this coming offseason and while he was offered a two-year extension worth 48 million, he turned that down in December of last year, so where exactly does Thompson and the Warriors organization stand amidst his rapid decline?
While it’s to be believed that Thompson is seeking a max-level contract and with teammates Stephen Curry and Draymond Green both under a supermax and a max contract for the next few years, it seems as of now that there won’t be an agreement made to sign Klay Thompson long-term.
How Klay Thompson Can Turn His Career Back Around on the Bench
While serving in a bench role may not have been what Klay Thompson and the entire Golden State Warriors organization were expecting, it certainly provides an upside that the whole team could benefit from.
The Golden State Warriors currently sit in the 10th spot in the Western Conference and if the season were to end today, they would be in the final spot to qualify for the play-in tournament and have the ability to fight for a chance at the post-season; however, they aren’t in a position to settle for that spot right now.
It’s been a struggle-filled season along with many frustrations and flared tempers for the Warriors, but now is a better time than ever to secure their footing and make a leap toward the post-season. Klay Thompson holds an extremely valuable piece to their potential. He’s a game-changer, but he can no longer be held accountable for the role he once flourished in. Thursday’s performance against the Utah Jazz was a perfect example of that.
Focusing on a sixth-man role can provide more firepower and stability for the team throughout the rest of the season. A role on the bench also bodes well with Thompson’s playstyle. If he’s going ballistic on the court like he was against the Utah Jazz, you leave him in, but if he’s having a lackluster day, you can provide him with a more limited role in the game without harming the rotations and with Chris Paul returning from injury shortly, the two can wreak havoc together.
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