During the NBA Finals, Klay Thompson had a moment in Game 2 where he ran up the court from the Boston bench to the Warriors bench, swooping under the hoop and then neatly curled around a screen for a rhythmic three-pointer.

In front of an enthusiastic home crowd, one of the most beautiful jump shooters in NBA history was doing what he does after the ball splashed through the net.

Shutting your eyes at that precise moment would have transported you to Oakland’s Oracle Arena in 2019.

However, everything took place inside the massive Chase Center in San Francisco. Furthermore, Thompson has undergone a great deal of change between this and his previous Finals trip.

He has hit just 10 of 33 shots in the first two games. On the defensive, he’s been attacked. Even after suffering severe injuries to his knee and Achilles, teammate Stephen Curry claims he can still “take it to another level” in his first season back.

With both teams having double-digit wins as the series advances to Boston knotted 1-1, Thompson’s role may be the most interesting plot point.

He thanked reporters in Boston on Tuesday, saying, “Thanks for reminding me of my delightful shooting percentage.” However, I think that I appeared a little hurried when I watched the movie. I wasn’t below my target. Nothing about this is immune to me. I’ve experienced shooting slumps in the past. The way you react is what’s most important. I probably won’t change much come Game 3; I’ll just play quickly and make fantastic shots. That usually results in a big night for me.

Above all, it feels fantastic to win by 20 points after going four for 19. That is preferable to playing 13 for 19 and losing by ten. I was there, and it’s never enjoyable.

It never was in doubt whether Thompson was still having fun, even after missing two seasons due to injuries. He started boating and started posting videos of himself off the coast of San Francisco. He and his dog went out. And, in his case as a shooter, the recovery felt all but guaranteed. Only three players shoot more than 40% and attempt at least seven three-pointers per game on average, including him.

Even yet, Thompson has barely recovered from a stretch of play during which he began rupturing vital ligaments and tendons rather than simply ripping the twine with his shots. He’s looked halfway between the player he was and the one he’s learning to be in these Finals.

“He’s just applying a little pressure,” Steve Kerr, the coach of Golden State, stated. “He’s just taking some bad ones because he wants to do well so badly.” Given that it has happened before, I’m not really concerned about it. Klay has a way of bouncing back from little setbacks.

Watching Boston’s Jaylen Brown attack Thompson off the dribble in Game 1 was startling. He was unable to stay in front of Brown as the Boston wing repeatedly broke through the paint, putting Thompson on his hip. Brown was once such a formidable defender that the Warriors would put him on Chris Paul.

Moving Thompson onto Al Horford in Game 2 allowed the Warriors to make a number of crucial adjustments, including allowing him to play more help defense and keeping him off the lead attacker.