As the Warriors search for answers to turn their season around, a reduced role for Klay Thompson appears to be in the cards.
While Thompson has maintained his spot in Golden State’s starting lineup, head coach Steve Kerr has opted to close games with Thompson on the bench, rather than employ lineups with the team’s more young talent. Such was the case in Brooklyn on Tuesday when the Warriors surrounded Stephen Curry and Draymond Green with young players in a narrow victory over the Nets.
Thompson, who turns 34 later this week, finished Golden State’s win with eight points (on 4-of-9 shooting) in 30 minutes. And while he maintains a team-first attitude, Thompson admitted that the direction of the season is taking a mental toll on him.
“I feel very good physically,” Thompson saying After the match. “Mentally, it’s probably a little different story, but that’s life, you know?”
Thompson added that the shooting woes haven’t made things any easier and said he takes pride in his shooting ability having an impact on the game. When asked about his recently reduced role in late-game situations, Thompson remained transparent.
“Everything is good, these guys played very well,” Thompson said, giving credit to Jonathan Kuminga and rookies Gui Santos and Brandin Podziemski. “At the end of the day, winning trumps everything.”
Tuesday night in Brooklyn marked the second time in three games that Thompson was not part of Golden State’s final lineups. As a five-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA, Thompson admitted it’s been a difficult adjustment.
“Yeah [it’s an adjustment], It’s a joke? “Going from (being) one of the best players is difficult for anyone, I’ll be honest with you.”
Thompson was visibly emotional during his time with the media, as his admitted frustration also came with an element of dejection. This year, Thompson is shooting a career-low 37.1 percent from beyond the arc, and his scoring average of 17.1 points per game is his lowest since his second NBA season.
And while Thompson’s three-point shooting is still above league average, he’s still struggling to impact games like he used to. Last season, Thompson was able to overcome his problems to get back on track, but this season the problem is much more pressing.
With Thompson’s impending free agency approaching and the trade deadline getting even closer, the Warriors’ need to find answers to support Curry is more pressing than ever.
