Warriors need a patient, consistent Klay Thompson without Stephen Curry
The Warriors will need a patient and consistent Klay Thompson if they
want to do more than just stay afloat with Steph Curry out over the next
few weeks.
>Golden State Warriors’ Klay Thompson #11 shoots a 3-poiint basket in
the first quarter of their NBA game against the Charlotte Hornets at the
Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2022. (Jane
Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
By MADELINE KENNEY | mkenney@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: December 28, 2022 at 7:05 p.m. | UPDATED: December 28, 2022
at 7:05 p.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/12/28/warriors-need-a-patient-consistent-klay-thompson-without-stephen-curry/

SAN FRANCISCO — The Warriors’ goal for the next few weeks while they’re
without Stephen Curry is to stay afloat.

The Warriors entered Wednesday 3-3 since Curry went down with a
partially dislocated left shoulder. He won’t need surgery to repair the
damage caused when he tried to strip the ball from a driving Pacers
player earlier this month. But it’s expected to keep him out until
mid-January or perhaps even longer.

But the Warriors two recent wins — which came after back-to-back brutal
losses in New York — showed that they’re capable of doing more than just
tread water in the coming weeks.

Golden State is amid an eight-game homestand, its longest of the season,
with Wednesday’s game against the Utah Jazz their third consecutive
contest at Chase Center. The Warriors own the best home record in the
league and have been nearly unbeatable in front of their fan base,
making this stretch a perfect opportunity for them to make up ground in
the Western Conference standings.

But they’ll need a patient and consistent Klay Thompson to help make
that a reality.

Thompson is at his best when he’s playing within the flow of his game
and not forcing shots. A prime example of that came in Tuesday’s win
over the Charlotte Hornets. Thompson scored 14 first-quarter points and
went 5-of-7 from the field and 4-of-6 from 3. He ended the night with a
team-high 29 points, five rebounds and four assists. He also made five
of the Warriors’ eight 3s on a night that the entire team struggled from
distance, while playing the entire first and third quarters, mimicking
Curry’s rotation minutes.

“Definitely got me into a good rhythm,” Thompson said of his
first-quarter rush. “I definitely wanted to finish better than 5-for-12
but I’ll take the W and just a great effort by everybody tonight.”

Thompson also had a good defensive effort against the Memphis Grizzlies
on Christmas Day. His shots didn’t fall — he went 8-for-25 from the
field and 3-of-12 from deep — but Kerr liked the looks he got.

Kerr also enjoyed what he saw from Thompson Tuesday.

“Klay was great,” the Warriors coach said after Golden State beat the
Charlotte Hornets. “I thought he was patient. The other night against
Memphis, I loved his game even though shots didn’t go in for him. I
thought he competed really well and did the same thing tonight but he
knew we needed some scoring from him given that Wiggs is still out and
obviously Steph so I thought Klay played a great, great game.”

Thompson knows what he’s capable of and made it a mission of his this
season to prove his doubters wrong. He’s shown glimpses of his
pre-injury self this season but hasn’t been able to channel that version
on a nightly basis.

As Kerr keeps saying, Thompson shines when he’s not hasty with his shot
and let’s the game come to him.

- Could Thompson play back-to-backs this season?

Thompson was in street clothes for Wednesday’s game against the Jazz.
That’s become a customary site on the backend of back-to-backs for the
32-year-old who is not quite yet a year removed from his welcome return
to the basketball court after suffering a pair of career-altering injuries.

Thompson has yet to play in both ends of back-to-backs since January,
but that could change at some point this season.

Thompson went through another hard workout Wednesday that mirrored his
gameday workload earlier in the day, Kerr said. Golden State’s medical
staff has said there’s not a specific science or formula to determine
when Thompson’s body will be ready to play on consecutive nights. But
Thompson is eager for the chance to do so.

“That would be fun,” he said.