Klay Thompson is no longer the lethal splash brother who punished defenses if they left him even slightly open. He’s become an inconsistent scorer who the Warriors no longer rely on as a late-game option. He was disappointed and wasn’t in the Warriors’ closing lineup in their win over the Hawks and let reporters know.
As Klay was talking, Draymond Green was telling reporters ‘who the f**k cares?’ as he was out of closing lineups in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
Klay Thompson: “I feel great physically, mentally is a different story. Such is life. Shooting, yeah, I pride myself on that stuff.”
Draymond Green: “What are they talking about? You not finishing the game? I didn’t finish Game 5 of the Finals, who the f**k cares? You haven’t asked him yet? I feel you’re about to.”
Klay Thompson: “It’s all good. The guys played great. Gui played great, BP, Jonathan. ”
Klay Thompson said it’s hard to not close: “Yeah, you kidding me? To go from one of the best players…It’s hard for anybody.”
Klay credited the young guys.
Draymond from off camera (to reporters): “I didn’t close Game 5 of the Finals. Who the f*** cares?” pic.twitter.com/CzYNX4vulw
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 6, 2024
Klay was visibly upset throughout the media interactions, expressing his disappointment in no longer being the player he once was. He also hoped that a stretch of good games could return him to his position as a closing option after being benched multiple times by Steve Kerr already.
He had a rough showing against the Nets, scoring just eight points on 4-9 shooting. Thompson was the only starter to end with a negative +/- rating (-5) and was benched late in the game for the No. 55 pick in the 2022 Draft, Gui Santos.
Klay is averaging 17.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.3 assists on 41.5% shooting from the field and 37.1% from three-point range this season.
Klay Thompson Still Views Himself As A ‘High-Level Wing’
Klay Thompson is an impending free agent this summer and hasn’t made a winning case to the Warriors about his value to the franchise. Anthony Slater spoke to Mike Scotto of HoopsHype and revealed that Thompson still views himself as a high-level wing in the NBA.
“Now, he still believes he’s a high-level wing as a shooter and scorer who can defend bigger guys. The defense against smaller guys has fallen off a cliff just because of his lateral quickness after the injuries. But he still thinks he’s a high-money player and should be valued like that.”
Unfortunately, Klay’s performances this season haven’t been that of a high-level wing. With new salary rules affecting teams around the league, it’s unlikely Klay will be able to warrant a large contract offer from one of the teams in the NBA to make the Warriors play him more in the summer. The Warriors will keep him for the right price, but the negotiation balance seems to be in their hands right now.
Klay’s disappointing season is just a part of the worst Warriors season with the big three healthy in a decade. They’re 22-25 this season, sitting outside the top 10 in the West. They are relying on a second-half push to put themselves back in the playoff race now.
If Klay can turn a corner from now until the season, he’ll quickly remind Golden State how valuable he is. But right now, he’s coming to grips with no longer being an All-star caliber player.
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