Prior to his devastating injuries, Klay Thompson was considered one of the best shooting guards in the game. He was an elite two-way player that was capable of taking on the toughest defensive assignment on any given night, while also being able to provide 20 or more points on offense.
Klay Thompson returned from injury this season, and it is fair to say that he bounced back fairly well, at least on the offensive end. He is averaging 19.9 PPG, 4.5 RPG, and 2.2 APG in the playoffs while shooting 40.2% from beyond the arc. His defense side, however, hasn’t been on the same level in years past.
Recently, Klay Thompson was asked whether he’s trying to get back to being an elite defender. Klay Thompson responded positively and added that he’s trying to emulate players like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Dwyane Wade in being a two-way player that makes contributions on both ends of the floor:
Klay Thompson says he's copying Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Dwyane Wade.
“All the best two guards to ever play the game played both sides of the ball.” pic.twitter.com/aKGZaVhqFq
— Mark Haynes (@markhaynesnba) May 19, 2022
Absolutely. It’s hard. Marking the best player every night for 40 minutes is not easy, and going to get buckets on the other end. But it’s something I love to do. All the best two guards to ever play the game played both sides of the ball. Whether it was Mike, Kobe, D-Wade, guys I idolized as a kid. They all competed on that side. So I just try to follow the same old.
Hopefully, we see Klay Thompson get back to the same level as he was before the injury defensively. Offensively, he has already helped the Golden State Warriors win some games in the playoffs, such as Game 6 against the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Golden State Warriors have a real chance to win their 4th championship in the Splash Brothers era. We’ll see if they are able to do so, and Klay Thompson will definitely be a crucial part of them potentially achieving that goal.
