The Golden State Warriors, who are now 22-25, are in the bottom half of the Western Conference standings, 19 months after winning an NBA championship. This season, Stephen Curry—the two-time NBA MVP—made another All-Star team, but the rest of the squad—including his veteran backcourt partner Klay Thompson—is having trouble.

Probably having his worst season since joining the Warriors as a starter in 2012–13, Thompson has had a poor shooting run over the last week (32.5% from the field, 16% from three-point range). Thompson was benched for the last seven minutes of the Warriors’ 109-98 victory against the Brooklyn Nets on Monday in Brooklyn, as decided by head coach Steve Kerr.

“It’s really difficult,” says Klay Thompson in response to his benching and poor shooting following the Warriors’ victory.

“Anybody finds it difficult to leave one of the best players,” Thompson said.

San Francisco, California, USA; January 27, 2024; Klay Thompson (11), a guard for the Golden State Warriors, reacts after fouling out against the Los Angeles Lakers in the second overtime period at Chase Center. Required Credit: USA TODAY Sports/Darren Yamashita

The Golden State Warriors are now 22-25 and almost at the bottom of the Western Conference standings, 19 months away from their last NBA championship. This season, Stephen Curry—the two-time NBA MVP—made another All-Star team, but the rest of the squad—including his veteran backcourt partner Klay Thompson—is having trouble.

Probably having his worst season since joining the Warriors as a starter in 2012–13, Thompson has had a poor shooting run over the last week (32.5% from the field, 16% from three-point range). Thompson was benched for the last seven minutes of the Warriors’ 109-98 victory against the Brooklyn Nets on Monday in Brooklyn, as decided by head coach Steve Kerr.

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Thompson discussed his cold streak with reporters in the locker room after the victory.

“I feel great physically, mentally is probably a different story,” he said.In the final moments of the game, Kerr benched Thompson in favor of Gui Santos, a 2022 second-round selection with just nine NBA games under his belt.

“You just stick with a group that’s playing well,” Kerr said to reporters after the match. “They were really making plays and competing… Thompson is okay. He’s seen a lot of ups and downs this season, and dealing with injuries is never easy for any athlete growing older, much alone someone who has been such a great player and Hall of Famer. However, he plays through everything because he is psychologically strong.”

This season, Thompson is shooting a career-low 41.5% from the field and 37.1% from three-point range. This season, he has also posted career-lows in win shares per 48 minutes (0.047), value over replacement player (0.1), and player efficiency rating (PER), at 12.2 and 0.047, respectively, according to advanced analytics.

Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. ET, the Warriors take on the Philadelphia 76ers to continue their road trip.