Landon Buford
The Golden State Warriors have a mission to return to title contention. The biggest factor for them to come back is certainly the complete recovery of Klay Thompson. Stephen Curry and Draymond Green showed up at the NBA Summer League in Vegas, where Curry updated Thompson.
Klay Thompson has missed the last two seasons for the Warriors. Apart from the obvious physical recovery, Curry ensures to bring out the mental side of things.
“Kevon Looney said it the other day. He’s confident. He’s energetic. He’s in a good space mentality. This has been a long two years for him. He understands the work that’s ahead of him and the opportunity that’s ahead of him to come back to the Klay we all know and love. I know that’s what his expectations are. He’s putting in the work.”
Coping with such a long absence would surely have its toll on anyone’s headspace. However, with Warriors support teammates such as Stephen Curry, this probably makes recovery progress a lot easier. And Klay returned the favor, being there for his teammates like they went through the highs and lows of an NBA season without him.
“It was great to have around all year, even though he wasn’t playing in the locker room and bringing that energy for us. Once we get back to training camp, it’ll be right at the end of his rehab progress. We can help get him over the hump and get him back there on the court.”
Last month, Thompson was on Instagram Live and shared that his rehab was going great, and he was happy to get back on the floor.
There has been much speculation from the fans and media of what Thompson might look like on the court once he finally returns. Many have even questioned if Thompson is the same players in other systems around the league.
However, last month on Clubhouse in the Courtside With Dukes’ room, former NBA veteran Jared Jeffries was not having any Klay Thompson slander.
“Klay Thompson is good whatever he is trust. Klay Thompson might average 30 points anywhere else because he might get more shots. Klay Thompson is nice, and he is 6’7 that can play two, three, four in this era of basketball. He has a killer post-up game that they never use because they don’t have to. You see what Khris Middleton is doing; he is two times better than him,” said Jeffries.
“In the post, Klay [Thompson] is un-guardable; the Warriors never post him up. If you notice in the past, if they ever put a smaller guard on Klay, he will go right to the block. When had Mark Jackson, he goes the block and shoot over the small guard, that is why they try to put someone bigger on him because, on the block, he is unguardable.”
He also addressed the naysayers that Klay Thompson’s weakness is he can’t create his own shot.
“Creating a shot on your own like Reggie Miller, Klay Thompson, and Ray Allen, you know they are coming off screens is creating a shot for yourself. That’s a talent in itself own, being able to read screens, know when to flare, know when to curl, that’s just as difficult as handling the ball. So, to say he can’t create his own shot is not fair and not true.”
On Wednesday night the Golden State Warriors beat the Toronto Raptors 90-84 in their latest Summer League game.
