The summer of 2019 was a brutal one for Klay Thompson. After helping his team reach the Finals for the fifth straight year, it ended with a series loss and a torn ACL.
Before Klay had the chance to fully recover from that ordeal, he tore his Achilles tendon, confining him to the bench for another full season.
The Warriors sharpshooter has already admitted how tough it was for him to endure the recovery process, but he recently spoke about it again on ‘How Hungry Are You?’ with Serge Ibaka.
Here’s what he said:
“It’s a gut punch it was hard to accept for a few months. I learned there’s things in life you can’t control. It was hard. But I was very lucky… established player, in the middle of my career, I could make it up on the back end. I feel for these young athletes that go through this in their teenage years or right when they enter the NBA.”
In Klay’s absence, the Warriors struggled to stay relevant. In fact, they were among the worst teams in basketball.
Fast forward to today, and the star sharpshooter has still not yet fully returned to his old self. It remains to be seen if that will ever happen.
But with him on the court, and Steph and Draymond healthy, the Warriors could be poised to become rulers of the basketball world again.
As Thompson said in a later segment, he believes his team can win another title as currently constructed right now. Without Kevin Durant in the deep and highly competitive West, it will definitely not be easy.
But this team, and this core, have shown what they are made of and we have every reason to suspect they will be playing into May, at the very least.
Regarding Klay specifically, let’s hope he never has to go that long without basketball again. For a guy so gifted and dedicated to his craft, one can imagine how tough it must be.
