Klay Thompson and the good that came out of the Warriors’ postponement
Instead of playing Denver, Klay Thompson and Steph Curry scrimmaged
together for the first time since 2019
>Klay Thompson goes through practice with the Golden State Warriors in
Denver after their game Thursday against the Nuggets was postponed. It
was Thompson’s first time scrimmaging with Steph Curry, left, in more
than two years. (Photo courtesy of Golden State Warriors)
>Klay Thompson goes through practice with the Golden State Warriors in
Denver after their game Thursday against the Nuggets was postponed. It
was Thompson’s first time scrimmaging with Steph Curry, left, in more
than two years. (Photo courtesy of Golden State Warriors)
By EVAN WEBECK | ewebeck@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: December 31, 2021 at 10:35 a.m. | UPDATED: December 31, 2021
at 2:09 p.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2021/12/31/klay-thompson-and-the-good-that-came-out-of-the-warriors-postponement/

With a roster full of players and staff members in Denver but no
opponent to play, the Golden State Warriors were understandably
frustrated at the outcome of Thursday night’s postponement. But within
the disappointment there was one bright silver lining: Klay Thompson and
Steph Curry sharing the court together again.

After the game was called off, Golden State regrouped for a practice
inside the Nuggets’ arena, where Thompson, who in the final stages of a
long and arduous rehab, teamed up with Curry and the rest of the
Warriors’ starting five for a scrimmage, marking the first time the
Splash Brothers have played together in two and a half years.

“It was fun to see Steph and Klay back on the court together,” coach
Steve Kerr said. “There were possessions where they were feeding off
each other. It’s just fun to see.”

--
📍 in the gym pic.twitter.com/r9LRXkSstY
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) December 31, 2021
--

Consider it one more milestone on the path to Thompson’s long-awaited
return. At this point, each day marks the closest he has come to NBA
action since tearing his ACL in the 2019 NBA Finals, then rupturing his
opposite Achilles while rehabbing from that injury.

When he does return — there is still no official target date, but one of
three home games in early January appears to be the likeliest scenario —
Thompson will immediately be penciled into the starting five. For the
first time, Kerr admitted he’s beginning to think about lineup combinations.

“I’m not going to mess around and bring him off the bench for a period
of time,” Kerr said. “I’m not doing any of that. He’s going to start.
We’ll see what that means in terms of the rest of the rotation.”

Thompson was cleared to return to full practice just before Thanksgiving
and has spent the past month getting his body back into NBA shape. While
that work has included scrimmages with the back of the Warriors bench,
their coaching staff and G Leaguers, it’s rare for veterans such as
Curry, Andrew Wiggins, Kevon Looney or Andre Iguodala to take part.

The only person missing Thursday was Draymond Green, who entered health
and safety protocols Monday and didn’t make the trip.

Kerr called it a “great” scrimmage and “really competitive.” Thompson
and Curry together again made for a special moment, he said.

>Klay Thompson goes through practice with the Golden State Warriors in
Denver after their game Thursday against the Nuggets was postponed.
(Photo courtesy of Golden State Warriors)

“It’s been over two years,” Kerr said. “Those guys have such a history
together, so for me it was just fun to sit back and see them smiling and
on the court together again. … Obviously it would have been nice to
have Draymond here, but that’ll happen soon enough.”

--
good morning #DubNation
pic.twitter.com/Tz0DON1m8s
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) December 31, 2021
--

Thursday marked a reunion for Thompson and the old guard but also acted
as his debut with Wiggins, a combination the Warriors have envisioned
since they acquired the 26-year-old wing almost two years ago. Both
players are deadly from deep — Wiggins’ 42.5% success rate from 3 this
season leads the team — and can lock down the top threat on the opposite
end of the floor.

The way Wiggins has adapted to his refined role has resulted in chatter
of the first all-star nod for the former first-round pick. Wiggins, who
is scoring at the most efficient rate of his career while averaging 18.8
points per game, said recently, “you hear it; you see it … I’m just
going to keep doing what I’m doing and hopefully put myself in good
position to be in that conversation.”

Integrating Thompson without interrupting the rhythm Wiggins has found
will be one of the challenges facing Kerr and the Warriors coaching
staff — all good problems to have while sitting atop the Western
Conference at 27-7.

The scrimmage served as a reminder of all the difficult rotational
decisions about to be made.

With Thompson and the starters teaming up, that left the reserves on the
other side, and they held their own, according to Kerr. Moses Moody,
returning from his time in health and safety protocols, stole a little
of Thompson’s thunder with a barrage of 3-pointers, Kerr said.

“Our white team – the reserve unit – was really good and they executed
well,” Kerr said. “It’s a reminder of how deep our team is. It’s really
exciting. … Moses shot the lights out in the scrimmage. Knocked down
five or six 3s and looked like nothing happened.”

When Thompson returns, Jordan Poole is expected to shift into the second
unit, leaving a cascading effect on the rest of the rotations. Poole was
set to return from a stint in health and safety protocols but settled
for the scrimmage instead. He’s expected to assume his spot in the
starting five Saturday at Utah, though after quarantining for 10 days in
a Boston hotel room, “he needed the time tonight to get his legs
underneath him a bit,” Kerr said.

Jonathan Kuminga, the 19-year-old lottery pick, is vying for more time.
There already are hardly enough minutes to go around for Iguodala, Otto
Porter Jr., Nemanja Bjelica, Gary Payton II, Juan Toscano-Anderson and
Damion Lee.

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That depth has proven all the more valuable as the NBA navigates the
recent surge in COVID-19 cases and teams are forced to reach to the ends
of their benches and into the G League for emergency replacements.

“I know one thing: we’ve got a whole lot of guys who are capable of
playing and being in the rotation and helping us win games,” Kerr said.
“It’s not going to be easy, but on the other hand it’s way better than
the alternative.”

As for their latest set of pandemic problems, Kerr said, “We turned it
into a positive.”

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Evan Webeck | Reporter
Evan Webeck covers high-school sports on the field and beyond — and a
little bit of everything else — for the Bay Area News Group. A Pacific
Northwest native and graduate of Arizona State, Evan has previously
worked for The Seattle Times, MLB.com and Sports Illustrated.