Klay Thompson is one of the best shooters that have ever played the game of basketball. He is generally viewed as the best 3 and D player ever, having perfected that two-way wing role.
With Klay Thompson’s impending return, there have definitely been a lot of questions. Most of them revolved around how well he would come back. However, there has also been talk about whether he should play off the bench to start, as Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins have been playing very well in starting roles.
Steve Kerr has previously stated that Klay Thompson will start when he returns. Recently, Kerr has revealed that there have been a lot of people who have asked about what he’s going to do with Klay Thompson, obviously referring to how he will be deployed. Steve Kerr reiterated that Klay Thompson is going to start, but stated that he’s going to “start off with less responsibility”.
I’ve had a few people ask me, ‘What are you gonna do with Klay?’ It’s Klay Thompson. When you can score 60 points in 29 minutes, generally your coach should start you. Klay is going to start. I’ve talked to him about it. It makes the most sense to do that because it’s gonna happen anyways. He’s gonna start off with less responsibility, fewer minutes. We’ll try to work him in, more and more minutes as he is getting more and more comfortable.
While a lot of coaches would generally bring in a player who’s been through two serious injuries off the bench, it seems as though Steve Kerr believes in Klay Thompson enough to put him immediately in a starting position. Klay Thompson’s game wasn’t predicated on athleticism, so it’s quite possible that he’ll find his footing fairly quickly.
The Golden State Warriors were already the 2nd seed in the Western Conference with Klay Thompson. Adding him back will give them another edge, and they could certainly end up winning it all.
