Klay Thompson’s renaissance: Warriors star nears new career high in
3-pointers
Warriors guard Klay Thompson leads NBA with 273 made 3-pointers
>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 13: Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden
State Warriors shoots a three-point basket over Josh Okogie #2 of the
Phoenix Suns in the first quarter at Chase Center on March 13, 2023 in
San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and
agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is
consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License
Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
By MADELINE KENNEY | mkenney@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: March 28, 2023 at 5:40 a.m. | UPDATED: March 28, 2023 at 7:58
a.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2023/03/28/klay-thompson-closing-in-on-career-milestone-in-first-full-season-back/

SAN FRANCISCO — When Klay Thompson was nearing his return in January
2022 after missing 2 1/2 years of action, the Warriors medical staff
told coach Steve Kerr it would take about a year or so for Thompson to
fully get back to where he once was.

Fourteen months later, Thompson is closing in on a career mark — the
latest sign of how far he’s come since he suffered back-to-back
devastating injuries.

Thompson entered Monday leading the league in made 3-pointers and is
just three shy of tying his regular-season career high of 276, set in
2015-16. After going 5 of 11 from deep in Sunday’s close loss to
Minnesota, Thompson has converted on 40.7% of his attempts from beyond
the arc. Pacers guard Buddy Hield is right behind Thompson with 271
3-pointers.

In Kerr’s mind, the 33-year-old Thompson will never lose his scoring touch.

“He’ll be able to [bury 3s] until he’s 90,” Kerr recently said. “He’s
always going to be able to shoot.”

And he’s come a long way from where he was just a few months ago.

Thompson spent the first part of this season searching. He wanted to be
the player he was before he crumpled to the floor with a torn ACL in the
2019 NBA Finals and then ruptured his Achilles tendon 17 months later.
Thompson felt the outside pressure and heard the doubters who questioned
whether he could ever get back to his All-Star form.

He was frustrated with his situation. Not only was he on a minutes
restriction and unable to play in both games of back-to-backs, but his
trusty shot wasn’t falling. Thompson made only 38 of his first 115
attempts from deep in the first 12 games of this season. The rough start
led to Thompson’s emotions boiling to the surface — in a rare outburst,
Thompson experienced his first career ejection after getting slapped
with two technical fouls while jawing with Phoenix’s Devin Booker.

A brief social media hiatus and a one-on-one chat with Draymond Green,
as well as the general support of his coaches and teammates, helped
Thompson find his zen on the court once again. He stopped chasing his
shot and started playing within the flow of the offense.

>RELATED ARTICLES
Race for the West: Warriors can’t capitalize on Mavs’ slide, Lakers’
loss in LeBron return
Is there reason to worry about the Warriors’ late-game execution?
Western Conference race gets tighter as Timberwolves beat Warriors
Warriors guard wants ‘slander’ to end after ‘playoff JP’ shows up
Gary Payton II probable for Sunday’s game against Minnesota

His increased patience was followed by immediate results.

In his 52 games since that mid-November talk with Green, Thompson has
averaged 23.2 points while shooting 45% from the field and 42.3% from
3-point range. He’s eclipsed the 40-point mark three times and notched
his third game with 12 or more 3-pointers — something not even superstar
teammate Stephen Curry has accomplished.

But Thompson is most proud of the fact that he’s available and been one
of the Warriors’ most reliable players this season, logging the
second-most minutes on the team (2,115.)

Kerr said Thompson’s durability alone this season is worth celebrating.

“The fact he’s playing back-to-backs now, playing heavy minutes, he’s
just put in so much work to get to this point,” Kerr said. “To overcome
two injuries and now play at such a high level, everybody’s thrilled for
him.”

--
Madeline Kenney | Warriors reporter
Madeline Kenney is the Bay Area News Group's Golden State Warriors beat
reporter for The Mercury News and East Bay Times. A Nebraska native, she
is graduate of Loyola University of Chicago. She holds a Bachelor in
Communication degree, with a major in broadcast journalism and minors in
sports management and marketing, and is a friend of Sister Jean, the
103-year-old nun who became famous during the Ramblers’ 2018 run to the
Final Four, Madeline previously worked for the Chicago Sun-Times
covering everything from sports to crime and politics. When she’s not
working, she enjoys trying new restaurants and exploring the great outdoors.

On 3/28/2023 3:32 PM, Allen wrote:
> Klay Thompson’s renaissance: Warriors star nears new career high in
> 3-pointers
> Warriors guard Klay Thompson leads NBA with 273 made 3-pointers
> >SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 13: Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden
> State Warriors shoots a three-point basket over Josh Okogie #2 of the
> Phoenix Suns in the first quarter at Chase Center on March 13, 2023 in
> San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and
> agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is
> consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License
> Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
> By MADELINE KENNEY | mkenney@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
> PUBLISHED: March 28, 2023 at 5:40 a.m. | UPDATED: March 28, 2023 at 7:58
> a.m.
> https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2023/03/28/klay-thompson-closing-in-on-career-milestone-in-first-full-season-back/
>
>
> SAN FRANCISCO — When Klay Thompson was nearing his return in January
> 2022 after missing 2 1/2 years of action, the Warriors medical staff
> told coach Steve Kerr it would take about a year or so for Thompson to
> fully get back to where he once was.
>
> Fourteen months later, Thompson is closing in on a career mark — the
> latest sign of how far he’s come since he suffered back-to-back
> devastating injuries.
>
> Thompson entered Monday leading the league in made 3-pointers and is
> just three shy of tying his regular-season career high of 276, set in
> 2015-16. After going 5 of 11 from deep in Sunday’s close loss to
> Minnesota, Thompson has converted on 40.7% of his attempts from beyond
> the arc. Pacers guard Buddy Hield is right behind Thompson with 271
> 3-pointers.
>
> In Kerr’s mind, the 33-year-old Thompson will never lose his scoring touch.
>
> “He’ll be able to [bury 3s] until he’s 90,” Kerr recently said. “He’s
> always going to be able to shoot.”
>
> And he’s come a long way from where he was just a few months ago.
>
> Thompson spent the first part of this season searching. He wanted to be
> the player he was before he crumpled to the floor with a torn ACL in the
> 2019 NBA Finals and then ruptured his Achilles tendon 17 months later.
> Thompson felt the outside pressure and heard the doubters who questioned
> whether he could ever get back to his All-Star form.
>
> He was frustrated with his situation. Not only was he on a minutes
> restriction and unable to play in both games of back-to-backs, but his
> trusty shot wasn’t falling. Thompson made only 38 of his first 115
> attempts from deep in the first 12 games of this season. The rough start
> led to Thompson’s emotions boiling to the surface — in a rare outburst,
> Thompson experienced his first career ejection after getting slapped
> with two technical fouls while jawing with Phoenix’s Devin Booker.
>
> A brief social media hiatus and a one-on-one chat with Draymond Green,
> as well as the general support of his coaches and teammates, helped
> Thompson find his zen on the court once again. He stopped chasing his
> shot and started playing within the flow of the offense.
>
> >RELATED ARTICLES
>   Race for the West: Warriors can’t capitalize on Mavs’ slide, Lakers’
> loss in LeBron return
>   Is there reason to worry about the Warriors’ late-game execution?
>   Western Conference race gets tighter as Timberwolves beat Warriors
>   Warriors guard wants ‘slander’ to end after ‘playoff JP’ shows up
>   Gary Payton II probable for Sunday’s game against Minnesota
>
> His increased patience was followed by immediate results.
>
> In his 52 games since that mid-November talk with Green, Thompson has
> averaged 23.2 points while shooting 45% from the field and 42.3% from
> 3-point range. He’s eclipsed the 40-point mark three times and notched
> his third game with 12 or more 3-pointers — something not even superstar
> teammate Stephen Curry has accomplished.
>
> But Thompson is most proud of the fact that he’s available and been one
> of the Warriors’ most reliable players this season, logging the
> second-most minutes on the team (2,115.)
>
> Kerr said Thompson’s durability alone this season is worth celebrating.
>
> “The fact he’s playing back-to-backs now, playing heavy minutes, he’s
> just put in so much work to get to this point,” Kerr said. “To overcome
> two injuries and now play at such a high level, everybody’s thrilled for
> him.”
>
> --
> Madeline Kenney | Warriors reporter
> Madeline Kenney is the Bay Area News Group's Golden State Warriors beat
> reporter for The Mercury News and East Bay Times. A Nebraska native, she
> is graduate of Loyola University of Chicago. She holds a Bachelor in
> Communication degree, with a major in broadcast journalism and minors in
> sports management and marketing, and is a friend of Sister Jean, the
> 103-year-old nun who became famous during the Ramblers’ 2018 run to the
> Final Four, Madeline previously worked for the Chicago Sun-Times
> covering everything from sports to crime and politics. When she’s not
> working, she enjoys trying new restaurants and exploring the great
> outdoors.
The only thing about Klay that gets me worried is when he starts
dribbling too much and by that I mean if he's doing anything other than
taking a one or two bounce dribble for rhythm before shooting. This is
where I think it hurts not having AI in the lineup (or as Kerr calls
him, "the adult in the room"). Before AI went down, they just seemed to
get into a good flow with their offense and defense. They also had Ty
Jerome available (I know his defense was lacking but if you keep turning
the ball over...). In any case, now that GPII is back, hopefully they'll
be able to take advantage of his mad skills and play him more minutes.
--
David Farber
Los Osos, CA

David Farber wrote:
> On 3/28/2023 3:32 PM, Allen wrote:
>> Klay Thompson’s renaissance: Warriors star nears new career high in
>> 3-pointers
>> Warriors guard Klay Thompson leads NBA with 273 made 3-pointers
>>  >SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 13: Klay Thompson #11 of the
>> Golden State Warriors shoots a three-point basket over Josh Okogie #2
>> of the Phoenix Suns in the first quarter at Chase Center on March 13,
>> 2023 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly
>> acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this
>> photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the
>> Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
>> By MADELINE KENNEY | mkenney@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
>> PUBLISHED: March 28, 2023 at 5:40 a.m. | UPDATED: March 28, 2023 at
>> 7:58 a.m.
>> https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2023/03/28/klay-thompson-closing-in-on-career-milestone-in-first-full-season-back/
>>
>>
>>
>> SAN FRANCISCO — When Klay Thompson was nearing his return in January
>> 2022 after missing 2 1/2 years of action, the Warriors medical staff
>> told coach Steve Kerr it would take about a year or so for Thompson to
>> fully get back to where he once was.
>>
>> Fourteen months later, Thompson is closing in on a career mark — the
>> latest sign of how far he’s come since he suffered back-to-back
>> devastating injuries.
>>
>> Thompson entered Monday leading the league in made 3-pointers and is
>> just three shy of tying his regular-season career high of 276, set in
>> 2015-16. After going 5 of 11 from deep in Sunday’s close loss to
>> Minnesota, Thompson has converted on 40.7% of his attempts from beyond
>> the arc. Pacers guard Buddy Hield is right behind Thompson with 271
>> 3-pointers.
>>
>> In Kerr’s mind, the 33-year-old Thompson will never lose his scoring
>> touch.
>>
>> “He’ll be able to [bury 3s] until he’s 90,” Kerr recently said. “He’s
>> always going to be able to shoot.”
>>
>> And he’s come a long way from where he was just a few months ago.
>>
>> Thompson spent the first part of this season searching. He wanted to
>> be the player he was before he crumpled to the floor with a torn ACL
>> in the 2019 NBA Finals and then ruptured his Achilles tendon 17 months
>> later. Thompson felt the outside pressure and heard the doubters who
>> questioned whether he could ever get back to his All-Star form.
>>
>> He was frustrated with his situation. Not only was he on a minutes
>> restriction and unable to play in both games of back-to-backs, but his
>> trusty shot wasn’t falling. Thompson made only 38 of his first 115
>> attempts from deep in the first 12 games of this season. The rough
>> start led to Thompson’s emotions boiling to the surface — in a rare
>> outburst, Thompson experienced his first career ejection after getting
>> slapped with two technical fouls while jawing with Phoenix’s Devin
>> Booker.
>>
>> A brief social media hiatus and a one-on-one chat with Draymond Green,
>> as well as the general support of his coaches and teammates, helped
>> Thompson find his zen on the court once again. He stopped chasing his
>> shot and started playing within the flow of the offense.
>>
>>  >RELATED ARTICLES
>>    Race for the West: Warriors can’t capitalize on Mavs’ slide,
>> Lakers’ loss in LeBron return
>>    Is there reason to worry about the Warriors’ late-game execution?
>>    Western Conference race gets tighter as Timberwolves beat Warriors
>>    Warriors guard wants ‘slander’ to end after ‘playoff JP’ shows up
>>    Gary Payton II probable for Sunday’s game against Minnesota
>>
>> His increased patience was followed by immediate results.
>>
>> In his 52 games since that mid-November talk with Green, Thompson has
>> averaged 23.2 points while shooting 45% from the field and 42.3% from
>> 3-point range. He’s eclipsed the 40-point mark three times and notched
>> his third game with 12 or more 3-pointers — something not even
>> superstar teammate Stephen Curry has accomplished.
>>
>> But Thompson is most proud of the fact that he’s available and been
>> one of the Warriors’ most reliable players this season, logging the
>> second-most minutes on the team (2,115.)
>>
>> Kerr said Thompson’s durability alone this season is worth celebrating.
>>
>> “The fact he’s playing back-to-backs now, playing heavy minutes, he’s
>> just put in so much work to get to this point,” Kerr said. “To
>> overcome two injuries and now play at such a high level, everybody’s
>> thrilled for him.”
>>
>> --
>> Madeline Kenney | Warriors reporter
>> Madeline Kenney is the Bay Area News Group's Golden State Warriors
>> beat reporter for The Mercury News and East Bay Times. A Nebraska
>> native, she is graduate of Loyola University of Chicago. She holds a
>> Bachelor in Communication degree, with a major in broadcast journalism
>> and minors in sports management and marketing, and is a friend of
>> Sister Jean, the 103-year-old nun who became famous during the
>> Ramblers’ 2018 run to the Final Four, Madeline previously worked for
>> the Chicago Sun-Times covering everything from sports to crime and
>> politics. When she’s not working, she enjoys trying new restaurants
>> and exploring the great outdoors.
>
> The only thing about Klay that gets me worried is when he starts
> dribbling too much and by that I mean if he's doing anything other than
> taking a one or two bounce dribble for rhythm before shooting. This is
> where I think it hurts not having AI in the lineup (or as Kerr calls
> him, "the adult in the room"). Before AI went down, they just seemed to
> get into a good flow with their offense and defense. They also had Ty
> Jerome available (I know his defense was lacking but if you keep turning
> the ball over...). In any case, now that GPII is back, hopefully they'll
> be able to take advantage of his mad skills and play him more minutes.
>
> --
> David Farber
> Los Osos, CA

He does seem to dribble a lot more than he used to.

And his defense, it seems, is never going to be the same. But the
scoring touch is back.

--Robin