In the summer of 2019, Klay Thompson suffered a brutal injury in the NBA Finals that completely derailed his career. Up to that point, Klay was a consistent and reliable contributor for the Warriors who excelled on both ends of the floor.
But after that injury, and the Achilles tear that followed the very next year, there were a lot of doubts that Klay could ever be that guy again for Dub Nation.
According to Thompson, it was Kevin Durant who helped him to overcome the injury and beat his recovery. Now, it’s Kevin Durant who is pushing him to re-discover his peak form.
(via SiriusXM NBA Radio)
“My confidence and my movements, defensively especially, shooting the ball. I thought I had a great playoffs. Didn’t shoot the ball as well as I wanted to in the Finals but I made big shots when it mattered most and I know I’m gonna be back to All-Star form. And you know who actually inspired me the most is Kevin Durant because Kevin went through the same thing and then he led the league in scoring. If he can get back to being himself, I know I can as well.”
"Know who actually inspired me the most is Kevin Durant"
Klay Thompson tells @TheFrankIsola & @Scalabrine how @KDTrey5 inspired him to get back to his All-Star form.
Hear the @warriors Season Preview NOW
🔊https://t.co/05WcBP82RJ pic.twitter.com/mKpwuv3lGn
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) October 9, 2022
It makes sense that Klay would look to Kevin Durant for some extra motivation. Despite tearing his Achilles tendon at over 30 years old, he was able to bounce back and return as if nothing happened at all.
Klay Thompson Is Hopeful For Another Strong Season After The 2022 Title Run
For Thompson, he’s going to have to find similar strength if he wants to play this best. And while only time will reveal the results, Warriors coach Steve Kerr is confident that Klay will not let them down.
“Our training staff repeatedly has told him and told us over the last year he’ll be better this year than he was the second half of last year, just because of the nature of the injury,” Kerr said. “I expect him to have a big year and be more consistent. I thought he showed that he was still himself last year, but it was more sporadic. I think it’ll be more consistent this year. I think we’re all sort of anticipating that.”
We saw Thompson return to the court last season, and he played about as well as anyone could have hoped. But with another summer of training and growing under his belt, there is a sense that Thompson will be even better in this campaign.
And with a new and improved Thompson, Golden State will be harder to handle than ever before.
