Klay Thompson, a long-time member of the Golden State Warriors starting lineup, has been a consistent presence for the team for the past ten years. Alongside his teammate Steph Curry, Thompson’s contributions to the game are likely to secure him a place in the prestigious Basketball Hall of Fame once he decides to retire.
However, despite his impressive career, Thompson is now facing the inevitable effects of aging. This season, his performance has suffered, negatively impacting the Warriors. In a surprising move, Warriors coach Steve Kerr decided to replace Thompson with rookie Brandin Podziemski in the starting lineup for their final game before the NBA All-Star Break against the Utah Jazz. This marked the first time Thompson came off the bench since March 11, 2012.
Despite this change, Thompson displayed no signs of a negative attitude. On the contrary, he had an outstanding performance. In that game, he scored 35 points, making seven three-pointers on just 22 shot attempts. His shooting was at a level that only a few exceptional shooters have ever reached.
Thompson, who recently turned 34, needed a game like this heading into the All-Star Weekend. Throughout the season, his shooting percentage from the field has been below 42%, which is considered poor. Although his three-point shooting percentage of 36.6% is decent for an average player, it falls short of the expectations for a player of Thompson’s caliber. Additionally, his once stellar defense is no longer as effective as it used to be, making his shooting performance crucial for him to contribute positively to the Warriors.
Regardless of whether Thompson plays as a starter or comes off the bench, the Warriors rely on him to be an asset to the team. With this victory, the Warriors finished the first half of the season with a record of 27-26, just one game above .500. This places them as the 10th seed in the Western Conference, securing them a spot in the play-in games.
According to the Source brobible.com