Klay Thompson had to make a substitution since the 3-pointer wasn’t going in.
Thompson relaxed down, played largely off-ball, and found his mid-range shot against a poor Utah Jazz defense. He easily led the club in scoring with 26 points, eight of which came from 2-point range. The Warriors didn’t need Thompson to shoot well from beyond the arc to win 129-107, their fifth straight; instead, Thompson’s teammates needed him to accept what the game offers on his two surgically repaired legs in his 34th year.
“Looked fantastic tonight. He seems calm.
Thompson has not had a calm year. When playing at his best, Thompson is like the player he was at Utah: a mature version of himself who can hide when he doesn’t have his legs but who can suddenly burst into a scoring frenzy and keep opponents off-balance. When the team struggles, Thompson becomes obviously frustrated that he isn’t always the reliable backup option, the go-to closer, and the scorer he was before to suffering his two serious injuries.
As he was struggling, coach Steve Kerr benched him to close games, which caused his emotions to explode. In November, after being benched late in a defeat to Phoenix, he tossed things and kicked chairs. In the final moments of a victory against the Brooklyn Nets last week, he acknowledged that he had gone from being “one of the best players” to a mere mortal when youngster Brandin Podziemski and G League call-up Gui Santos edged him.
Thompson sat fully clothed in his game-used jersey, a towel draped over his head, glaring daggers at the interior of his locker on Saturday after failing to seal a victory against the Suns. As he was leaving, Jerome Robinson offered him a supportive grip on the shoulder, and Thompson threw his phone into his locker out of frustration—not at Robinson, but at himself.
One may conclude that Thompson’s annoyances are an indication that he is refusing to accept his new situation. However, it simply highlights the two-edged nature of Thompson’s exceptional competitiveness.
“I think I’m managing it well. I am aware that there will be highs and lows,” Thompson said. “It’s important to maintain consistency, but at least I’m playing and feeling well.”
How Thompson strikes a balance between emotion and logic might determine how long he stays with the Warriors. Will he go looking for a deal that pays him like the player he was and maybe still believes he can be? Or will he find a fit that reflects his growing maturity?
Thompson told The Ringer that he understands he will have to take a smaller role in the latter stages of his career, despite his apparent dismay. Thompson brought up his hero, superstar Ray Allen, who chose to play a supporting role with the Miami Heat in his latter years of career.
Yes, it is OK, Thompson said to The Ringer. “Next year, I’ll be 35. Even at 35, having recovered from an ACL and an Achilles tendon, you still have the potential to be a very excellent player. Though maybe not the player who set an NBA record with 37 points in a quarter and scored 60 points in three quarters, he is still a serious danger.
“I’ve based my strategy on Ray and Reggie (Miller), who were very successful players up into their late 30s. I thus want to kind of follow that pattern.
Green brought up the phrase he had seen circulating online after the Utah game.
That’s fantastic, said Green. “You see these young guys going to the next level — the JKs, the BPs — and you have to be okay with that growth and allow that growth.” Klay is becoming more like that. Being in that situation is intriguing. It’s important for this team to see him become settled. Klay is essential to us. To be able to run, we must a really excellent Klay.Thompson’s 37.3 percent from three-point range is far lower than his career average of 41.3%, and his 17.1 points per game is his lowest since the 2012–13 campaign. All things considered, Thompson’s ability to grow from his history may be what matters most. Thompson and the Warriors stand to gain from it, as they saw in Utah.
“It is indicative of his self-assurance and driven attitude that he was able to perform tonight,” Steph Curry remarked. “He would remark that while the year hasn’t been easy, life isn’t easy. You have to accept the highs and lows of your job since it’s not an easy one. He thrives best when you can find a moment of calm to enjoy a game of basketball. He is telling himself so because we are pushing him to do so.
