Longtime NBA veteran Klay Thompson is one of the most accomplished athletes in modern basketball history, but the community is still split on where he ranks among the greatest shooters ever. Stephen Curry is obviously the best of all time, but there’s a case that Klay belongs right under him as the second-best shooter.
Despite this elite status, though, not everyone is convinced that he even ranks above Ray Allen. During one Instagram discussion, that’s exactly what some fans tried to argue, and Klay himself felt compelled to respond.
“You do realize I was the 2nd leading scorer on two championship teams without KD? You want me to go to a bad team and put up empty stats, that’s easy, buddy,” Klay wrote on Instagram.
One common point made by fans in the thread is that Klay can’t lead a team to the playoffs like Ray Allen did with the Bucks in 2001. They tried to argue that Thompson is more of a sidekick, but Klay humbly pointed out that he actually led the 2016 playoffs in scoring, disproving the narrative.
“Holy sh**, I led the 2016 playoffs in points scored, you casuals,” Thompson added.
It’s been years since he was at his peak form, but fans shouldn’t forget what Klay Thompson could do at his best. In 11 years with the Warriors, he averaged 19.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game on 45.3% shooting from the field. He averaged over three three-pointers a game while playing elite defense, helping the Dubs win four championships over eight years.
While he was never the leading star on the Warriors, he did have two seasons in which he finished second in scoring. Without his impact in the backcourt, the Dubs would never have accomplished what they did, and his role in their dynasty will never be erased. On paper, it’s a run worthy of the Hall of Fame, but how it compares to Ray Allen’s career is debatable.
On paper, Allen isn’t as decorated as Thompson, but he thrived in various roles across four different teams. While most fans remember him as a role player on the Heat and Celtics, he was actually a leading star during his early career with the Bucks and SuperSonics. By the time he retired in 2014, Allen was a two-time champion, 10x All-Star, and two-time All-NBA player. He averaged 18.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.1 blocks per game on 44.2% shooting from the field.
In the end, it seems like Ray Allen had more individual success, while Klay Thompson has more team success. If you switch their positions, there’s no telling what the result would be, but to say it’s not even close would be disrespectful to both Klay and Allen.
As two legends who thrived in their own right, you have to give these guys credit for what they were able to accomplish. They made the best of their situations, etching their names in history as a result. Who you favor more really depends on what attributes and accolades you value the most in a star, but they both have a place in the conversation.
