Klay Thompson has been a mainstay in the Golden State Warriors starting lineup for a decade now. The other splash brother, alongside Steph Curry, is surely headed to the Basketball Hall of Fame when he hangs it up.
But, father time is finally starting to catch up with Klay Thompson. His numbers and efficiency are not good this year, and it’s hurting the Warriors.
Longtime Warriors coach Steve Kerr made a surprising move on Thursday in the team’s final game before the NBA All-Star Break against the Utah Jazz. He took Thompson out of the starting lineup in favor of rookie Brandin Podziemski. It was the first time since March 11, 2012, that he came off the bench.
Thompson’s last 699 appearances in the NBA had been as a starter, until Thursday. So, did he have a bad attitude about it? Not in the slightest. Instead, he absolutely went off.
Thompson had 35 points on just 22 shot attempts, including seven made threes. He was absolutely on fire, at that level that only a few of the great shooters ever get to.
Thompson, who turned 34 last week, needed a performance like that heading into All-Star Weekend. On the year, he came in shooting under 42% from the field, a terrible number. His three point percentage of 36.6% is solid for a normal player, but not for someone of the pedigree as Klay Thompson. And, with his once stellar defense no longer as effective, he’s got to shoot well to be an asset to the Warriors.
They will need him to be an asset, whether it’s on the bench or as a starter. With the win, the Warriors limped to the break just one game over .500 at 27-26. That puts them in the 10th seed in the West, the final spot that guarantees a place in the play-in games.
