Klay Thompson’s slow start to the season got worse when the Warriors hosted the OKC Thunder and lost convincingly, with Klay shooting 1-10 from the field. Head coach Steve Kerr defended his start to the season and gave the Thunder defense credit for limiting Thompson’s production.
“Just to be patient. It’s tough. They loaded up on him and made it really tough on him. They had Dort draped all over him, doing a good job defensively. We weren’t really able to create any space for him with our lineups, with our offense, they just kept him really smothered. He was trying to get his own shot, and he took a lot of tough ones. Out of frustration, I think he’s just trying to get himself going, but we’ve gotta try to find a way to get him some cleaner looks.”
"They loaded up on him…We weren't really able to get any space for him."
Steve Kerr on Klay Thompson going 1-for-10 against the Thunder.
(via @KNBR)pic.twitter.com/7dqTE4yn2o
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) November 17, 2023
Thompson scored just five points in the loss last night. With Jordan Poole being traded away in the summer, the offensive burden on Klay to perform in Stephen Curry’s absence is much higher. He failed to rise to the occasion in every way possible last night, with the Warriors’ best player being Jonathan Kuminga, who made his first start of the season.
Klay is averaging 13.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists this season, a far-cry from the numbers we’ve come to expect from him. He averaged 21.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.4 assists last season, and the Warriors need that version of Klay to step up and keep them afloat in a very competitive Western Conference,
Could Klay Thompson Be On The Trade Block?
Klay Thompson and the Warriors didn’t agree upon a contract extension this summer, with Thompson believing the Warriors weren’t offering him what he deserved. With the season he’s having, no team in the NBA would want to max out Klay when he looks like this, especially with his injury history. If the Warriors believe there’s a genuine risk they lose Klay in free agency next season, it may make more sense to trade his $43 million contract right now and get win-now players in return.
Stephen Curry is having his best start to a season since the 2015-16 season, averaging 30.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists. He can still lead the Warriors to championships provided he has the right pieces around him. It may be time to admit that Klay Thompson is no longer one of those right pieces, especially with the contract he’s on and how he’s producing on the court.
We’ve seen Klay bounce back from slow starts to a season before, so we have time till February to see whether this is the new Klay Thompson or we’re witnessing one of the slowest starts he’s ever had in his career. If this continues, the Warriors may have to make the heartbreaking decision to move on from one of the three pillars of the franchise.
The argument for keeping him on the roster is continuity and morale, but does that account for what they’re missing out on the court by keeping Klay? That’s hard to say. My money is on Klay staying with the Warriors this season and likely signing on to a budget extension with Golden State that nets him $20 to $25 million if he keeps playing like this. It’s unlikely a cap space team would offer him any more than that, so Golden State should see if there’s any juice left in the player to keep the dream of the Warriors’ big three retiring as one-club men alive.
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