One of the bigger talking points of this season was established early on when Charles Barkley said that Klay Thompson wasn’t the same player anymore. While that in itself doesn’t amount to much, Klay got upset over the comment and had a very emotional response to it.
Barkley then responded to Klay’s remarks, and by this point, the spotlight was firmly on Thompson, but for all the wrong reasons. Klay just hasn’t looked right all season, and his poor play has contributed to their slow start. He is averaging 14.1 points per game this season while shooting just 35.1% from the field and 33.0% from beyond the arc, which is well below his high standards. There have been growing calls for Klay to be benched, but head coach Steve Kerr isn’t thinking about it at the moment.
Steve Kerr Doesn’t Want To Start Jordan Poole Over Klay Thompson
The Warriors are being quite cautious with Klay, as they aren’t letting him play in back-to-backs, but it opens the door for more questions regarding his starting spot. With Klay resting for their game against the Spurs, Jordan Poole got to start, and he had a dominant showing, finishing with 36 points in under 30 minutes. After that spectacular display, Kerr was asked about Poole getting into the starting lineup, and here’s what he had to say.
Steve Kerr says he isn't thinking about starting JP pic.twitter.com/0SynmS5vvj
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) November 15, 2022
“No, it’s not something I’m thinking about. Our starting five with Klay has been really, really good this year. I think the bigger thing is finding the right combinations off the bench.”
Poole has had his own struggles this season as he adjusts to having to come off the bench again. The only time he has done well in this campaign was when he started for the Warriors, as that’s when he had both of his 30-point outings.
If the Warriors want Poole to excel, then they need to give him that starting role, but it doesn’t seem like it is going to happen. They are going to stick with Klay for all that he has done for the team over the years, and they probably do believe he will improve significantly over the course of the season. Not everyone is as confident as them, though, with most fans believing that the time has come for Poole to get the nod ahead of Thompson.
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