Once upon a time, there was this guy called Klay Thompson who terrorized every defense in the NBA. This shooting guard played for the Golden State Warriors. This dude called Klay Thompson used to be a part of the legendary ‘Splash Bros’ that took the NBA by storm and formed a legacy.
Now, he might have just ended his Warriors’ career with a gosh-darn donut in a do-or-die game. How did Klay Thompson end like this, and has he tainted his legacy?
Klay Thompson Origins in Golden State
Drafted back in 2011 with the 11th overall pick, Klay Thompson quickly became a key part of a then-rebuilding Warriors team. He was sixth in the Rookie of the Year voting and averaged a modest 12.5 ppg. However, there was some fire to this kid who played for Washington State.
See, two years prior, the Warriors drafted a guy called Steph Curry as their new PG. This Curry guy was showing big promise and a major strength: his 3-point shooting. With Klay Thompson, all of a sudden, it seemed like Golden State had two huge perimetral threats as Thompson averaged 41% from three in his rookie year.
It was in May 2014 that the Warriors made moves. Steve Kerr, a certified member of those legendary Bulls from the 90s, was appointed as the new head coach. Kerr, who won five rings as a player, turned down Phil Jackson (the coach from those Bulls that Kerr was a part of) and the New York Knicks to go to Golden State.
He had no previous experience as head coach, but had a tenure as a GM for Phoenix, and learned from brilliant minds like the aforementioned Jackson and Gregg Popovich (who he won two rings as a player).
With Kerr’s arrival, Klay Thompson’s prime arrived too and oh my God, was the NBA shaken. From the 2014 season, Thompson averaged more than 20 points a game for five years straight and became a 5x All-Star. The ‘Splash Bros’ was an absolute sensation. They also won three rings in that span, beating the likes of LeBron James. Klay Thompson was a big, huge part of the teams’ success.
More Than Just a Shooter
You’d often hear the saying “Shooters shoot!” Yes, Klay Thompson was the embodiment of that to a certain degree. He didn’t need to dribble much, he would always have his shooting stance ready, he would be absolute money from beyond the arc and if you centered too much attention on Curry, Klay would easily (and I mean really easily) put a 35-piece on you, if not more.
However, one of the most overlooked aspects of his game was how good he was defending. Curry is usually undersized and even though he is a willing defender, he’s not great at it. Klay Thompson would usually be put in the situation of locking down the opposing team’s best guard and he would do a heck of a job guarding them. He was All-Defensive Second Team at one point.
Klay Thompson of Legend
Klay Thompson has some scary stat lines. He would just decide to go off and absolutely no one would stop him from tearing a whole team apart. Here are just a few of the games that made Klay Thompson an absolute legend:
- 14 threes in a single game (NBA Record)
- 37 points in ONE quarter (2015 vs. the Kings), 13/13 from the field in that quarter, and 9/9 on three-pointers (NBA Record for most threes in a quarter)
- Six games with ten or more three-pointers
- Eight playoff games with seven or more three-pointers
- 60 points in three quarters vs. the Pacers (Played 29 minutes, fastest 60-point game in shot clock era) (Only took 11 dribbles in the whole game)
- Game Six Klay (He would take over in Game Six of the Playoffs Series, having six 25+ points games in this situation)
Not only that, but Klay Thompson was -or is- renowned for being what the streets call a ‘Dawg’. This means he is a mentally tough player with a never-give-up attitude and high work rates who performs at a high level in big-time situations. Klay exemplified that he had that ‘dawg’ in him by shooting free throws after literally tearing his ACL seconds before. Unfortunately, that ACL was…
The Fall From Grace
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It was the 2019 NBA Finals between the Warriors and the Toronto Raptors when Klay Thompson’s ACL tore after a contested dunk. This meant a long injury recovery that took place during the 2019-2020 season. Unfortunately, he would then tear his Achilles tendon while preparing for his comeback and remained sidelined throughout the 2020-2021 season as well.
Needless to say, those are two huge, sometimes career-ending injuries. Suffering both consecutively plus the fact that he didn’t play for two full seasons make Thompson’s comeback one of the absolute legends. However, his level was never back.
Klay has not been the same -understandably- but more than his physical limitations (let’s remind him he’s also getting older), it’s his mentality that has caused more concerns. At times, Klay, who was usually this fired-up guy, has seemed frustrated and mentally unavailable during bad stretches.
Since coming back from injury, he has still averaged 19.9 points (which is basically his career average), but his defense and mainly, his ability to step up in high-pressure situations have diminished drastically.
Is Klay Thompson’s Legacy Tainted?
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He was always the perfect Robin for Curry’s Batman and even an incredible luxurious third-wheel for when Durant was in Golden State. He was reliable. That version is gone. The inspiration behind this article is not to bash Klay. On a personal note, he’s one of my favorite players, but it’s tough to see what has transpired.
The Warriors played the Kings in a do-or-die environment when they visited Sacramento in a Play-In Tournament matchup. Given that the Kings were the ninth seed, and the Warriors the tenth seed, the winner would have to play another game in their efforts to enter the playoffs, but the loser would see their season end.
Naturally, everyone expected Klay to have a big game, or at least be a factor in it as the Warriors tried to keep their season alive. After all, everyone knows this isn’t prime Klay, but in these situations, the savvy veterans usually still have something in the tank.
Also, much has been speculated about Thompson’s future with the Warriors. Was he playing his last games with a Golden State jersey? Many thought so. Surely Klay would want to go with a big-time impression. At least make yourself attractive to the market or convince the front office to extend your contract.
Long story short, the Warriors were blown out 114-98 and Klay Thompson’s probable last stat line for the Warriors looked like this:
- 31 minutes
- 0 points
- 0/10 FG
- 0/6 3-PT FG
- 4 Rebounds
- 1 Assist
That’s not how you want to close a season, let alone an era in the NBA. Has Klay tainted his legacy? That might be a stretch, but he will be remembered as a guy who came back from two possible career-ending injuries, a 5x All-Star, and most importantly a top 5 shooter of all time.
However, if this is the Klay that we will see in the next seasons (if he continues to play), the recency bias might hit his overall career. It’s unfair, but that’s how the world works.
About the Author
Bruno is a sports fanatic. Pick a sport, and he’ll enjoy debating or reminiscing about it for hours! From football to combat sports and literally everything in between, he’s your sports pal! You can follow Bruno on X.com @_BrunoMilano to enjoy all of his great content. Remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel, where we do lots of shows daily to keep you entertained.
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