After starting on the bench for the first time in twelve years, Klay Thompson didn’t appear to mind, judging by his performance in Thursday’s 140-137 victory against the Utah Jazz.

After the game, the guard for the Golden State Warriors, who had a career-high 35 points, told reporters that he “embraced” the shift in role. He used the example of how Manu Ginobili’s position with the San Antonio Spurs changed as his career progressed.

“I thought about [former Spurs great] Manu Ginobli, that guy has four rings and gold medal, and he came off the bench his whole career, and I don’t think anyone looks down on his Hall of Fame candidacy,” said Thompson. “He is among the greatest. And I reasoned that I really earned it since I had accepted it before tipping.”
Ginobili was mostly employed as a reserve player for the majority of his career, with the exception of a few seasons in which he started every game. Over his last seven seasons with the Spurs, the Hall of Famer only made 10 starts in 424 games.

The majority of this season has been devoted to Warriors head coach Steve Kerr’s search for lineup combinations that complement this group.

The biggest alterations have been to Thompson’s position. It began earlier this month on February 5 when he was not on the court for the team’s last possession in a 109-98 victory against the Brooklyn Nets.

Although Thompson was candid about how tough it was for him to sit on the bench, he also gave respect to Brandin Podziemski and Gui Santos for their contributions to the Warriors’ triumph.
Kerr didn’t decide to start Thompson off the bench and move Podziemski into the starting lineup until Thursday night.

Thompson has been the starter for 684 games in a row, beginning on March 13, 2012. By then, he was almost midway through his debut campaign when Mark Jackson, the head coach at the time, made the decision.


After the team’s win against Utah, Kerr told reporters that Thompson wasn’t very happy about the change when he was notified about it earlier in the day.

“It’s been a tricky season for him and for us,” Kerr said. “Replicating what Klay accomplished for him five or six years ago is more difficult. This strikes me as a potentially ideal mix to bring forth the best in both Klay and our team.”


Thompson’s 30+ point performance on Thursday was only his third in 50 games this season. In 28 minutes, he pulled down six rebounds and hit 13 of 22 from the field, including 7 of 13 from three-point range.

During the All-Star break, the Warriors will have an opportunity to start again. They had amassed a 2.5-game lead for the last slot in the Western Conference play-in tournament, having won six of their previous seven games heading into the break.