With Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Andrew Wiggins, the Warriors have been good enough to hold the top spot in the West, resting comfortably at 12 games above .500.
But, believe it or not, the Dubs are about to get some additional reinforcements.
According to Shams Charania and Anthony Slater, 5x All-Star Klay Thompson is nearing his return and could return the lineup as soon a Christmas week.
The Warriors, a league-best 14-2, returned to San Francisco this weekend to good news.
Klay Thompson came through well after a week of 5-on-5 scrimmaging and has been cleared to be a full-time participant in all future Warriors’ practices, sources tell The Athletic. Thompson is trending toward a potential return the week before Christmas Day, those sources said.
But this is still a vital advancement in his ramp-up. The Warriors don’t have a game on either Monday or Tuesday. During off-days, they typically set up a scrimmage with players at the back end of their team rotation who need court work. Thompson is expected to join those scrimmages, matching him against other current NBA athletes in a full-blown, unconstrained contact setting for the first time since he suffered the first of two major injuries in June 2019 when he sustained a torn ACL. Thompson suffered a torn Achilles tendon last November.
After suffering two major, potentially career-ending injuries back-to-back, nobody is sure how Thompson will look upon his return.
The last time he was healthy, he averaged 19.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game on 45.9% shooting.
The Warriors, who are 14-2, have been doing well enough without him so far, but his presence could be what the team needs to capture their fourth Championship in less than a decade.
No doubt, Dub Nation is counting down the days until the return of their favorite shooting guard.
