Patience pays off for Klay Thompson in Warriors’ win over Knicks
Draymond Green told Klay Thompson to "be patient and trust the team."
And that's what he did Friday night against the Knicks.
>Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) gestures after shooting
a 3-point basket during the second half of the team’s NBA basketball
game against the New York Knicks in San Francisco, Friday, Nov. 18,
2022. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
By MADELINE KENNEY | mkenney@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: November 18, 2022 at 11:44 p.m. | UPDATED: November 19, 2022
at 11:05 a.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/11/18/patience-pays-off-for-klay-thompson-in-warriors-win-over-knicks/

SAN FRANCISCO — Klay Thompson is known to be a laid-back,
low-maintenance guy to his teammates, coaches and fans. The process of
his lengthy comeback has been arduous and frustrating.

But as much as the Warriors need to be patient with him, even on nights
when he’s trying to force his game, Thompson has to remain patient with
himself.

“He’s going to go out there and compete,” JaMychal Green said. “And he’s
gonna fight.”

Unlike Wednesday in Phoenix, where Thompson was pressing and hunting for
his own shot to shake off his shooting slump, Thompson played a more
selfless game Friday in the Warriors’ 111-101 win over the Knicks.

In one sequence in the first quarter, Thompson, who already scored eight
quick points, came off a screen and went up for a contested shot. But
instead of firing it off, he made a quick decision mid-air and found
Kevon Looney on the move for a better opportunity near the basket.

“That’s how the game is supposed to look,” coach Steve Kerr said. “Klay
is such a great shooter that he’s constantly drawing close outs and
sometimes two people running out at him, so if he just moves it, we
automatically have an advantage. So either moving it or driving it or
kicking it either one and then the ball tends to come back to him for a
wide open look.”

Thompson’s approach paid off as he had his more efficient game of the
season. He finished with 20 points on 6 of 12 shooting for his first
game of the 2022-23 campaign that he’s shot at least 50% from the field.

“It just felt incredible to have an efficient night from the field,”
Thompson said. “It’s definitely gonna be something for me to build on.”

Friday night was a step in the right direction for the Warriors’
shooting guard who’s off to his worst start of his career. Thompson has
asked for patience in his first full season back after back-to-back
major leg injuries kept him out of the game for 2 1/2 years.

Thompson is still playing mental gymnastics stemming from his
career-altering injuries. He didn’t play any five-on-five basketball
this summer after he ruptured his Achilles tendon in a pickup game in
November 2020. As a result, Thompson started the season on a minutes
restriction and has had a slower ramp-up to play than most of his teammates.

The five-time All-Star is averaging 15.5 points per game and shooting
36.3% from the field and 33.6% from deep, both career lows.

Thompson had been trying to shoot his way out of the funk. He is Klay
Thompson after all — half of one of the most lethal backcourt duos in
the last decade. But Thompson’s aggressiveness started to become a
liability for the Warriors as he was more concerned with getting himself
going rather than playing for the team.

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No one publicly faulted Thompson for what he was doing, though Kerr
wasn’t happy with his quick releases against the Suns. This is
Thompson’s first time starting a season healthy since 2018. He’s eager
to prove the critics wrong and return to the best possible version of
himself. But the pressure of his own expectations and hopes has weighed
heavily on him at times.

The Warriors knew they had to help Thompson. “Help him get out of his
own way,” as Kerr put it.

“When he can get through his frustration, the game will come to him and
he’ll be fine,” Kerr said. “He’s going to play at a really high level
because he’s still got it. Klay’s still got it. But right now, he’s
playing in a frustrated manner, it’s leading to a lot of quick shots and
he knows that. And we got to help him through that and we know how much
Klay has done for this franchise and our city, the Bay Area, so we’re
gonna help him through it and he’s going to get there.”

The Warriors knew a conversation needed to be had — not just with
Thompson but the entire team, which is 0-8 on the road.

JaMychal Green said the team addressed all “the elephants in the room”
at a team meeting Friday morning. That included needing a commitment to
both ends of the floor and bringing more energy on defense. But Draymond
Green, who led the meeting, also had a message for the struggling Thompson.

“He told me to be patient and trust the team,” Thompson recalled.

The 32-year-old did that against the Knicks.

“It paid off for him, paid off for our team, too,” Kerr said. “It seemed
like every time Klay just made an extra pass, the ball started to move
and then we got a wide open shot. We ended up with 32 assists… he was
great, and then the game awarded him. He made some big shots down the
stretch.”