At this point in his career, you STILL can’t leave Klay Thompson open.
Let's address the elephant in the room. On April 16th, 2024, in his last game as a Warrior, Klay Thompson shot an embarrassing 0/10 from the field and 0/6 from 3 in a do-or-die play-in game VS the Kings. This game was horrible, no way around it. But that wasn't the only game Klay Thompson played last season. I've compiled a few games of his in this video, but let me also tell you some fun facts about Klay's 2023-2024 campaign.
-Klay averaged 17.9 PPG on 43.2/38.7/92.7 splits last season. His averages in 2022? 20.4 PPG on 42.9/38.5/90.2 splits.
-Klay made 268 3s last season. This puts him 4th in the league in made 3-pointers behind Steph, Luka, and Donte DiVincenzo. Shout out to The Big Ragu.
-Klay started the year slow (17.3 PPG on 37.3% from 3), but after the All-Star break he improved to 18.9 PPG on 41.2% from 3.
-Post All-Star break, he shot a scorching hot 45.9% (!!!) on open (4-6 feet) 3s.
-In 25/77 games, Klay made 5 or more 3s. He shot under 40% from 3 in those games three times. In 35/77 games, Klay made 4 for more 3s. He shot under 40% from 3 in those games four times.
Klay did all this last season, while playing 77 games as a second option, on a team that struggled to make the play-in. After two devastating injuries, his body can’t handle that much of a load on offense. His numbers improve when he comes off the bench, going from 17.4 PPG on 42.5/37.7/92.1 as a starter to 19.8 PPG on 46.4/42.8/95.7 splits. Interestingly enough, 13 of the 14 games he played off the bench came after the All-Star break. I think Kerr was onto something.
Although Klay will have to get used to being in a new offense, he has the added benefit of playing next to a lot of capable playmakers. Luka is already a top 2 playmaker in the league, and then you have players like Kyrie, Grimes, Exum, Naji, and Lively who can also make great passes. Kidd will definitely run more off-ball plays for Klay, but his ability to move without the ball next to all these playmakers means he’ll get a lot of easy shots anyway.
He won't play like he did before the injury, but we don't need him to. If he contributes easy 3s and keeps defenses honest, he will have a huge impact on the team, on and off the court. Klay's gravity will give them more open shots, and players like PJ, Hardy, and Lively will get shooting tips from one of the greatest shooters ever. He may be streaky, and he will have bad nights. But when Klay Thompson is on the court, every team in the NBA knows you still can't leave him open.
by BalanceCandid5179
4 Comments
I think at the age of 60 you still can’t leave him open. lol he might have trouble getting back on defense though
Yes, Klay Thompson had more bad games than just the play-in. There were a lot of embarrassing moments that lead to fans asking to trade him. I still think people heavily underestimate the impact of a scenery change. At his peak he’s probably one of the most portable players in NBA history because he’s the ideal 3&D wing. GSW needed him to be a lot more than what he is right now, and that leads to embarrassing play-in losses. Klay will likely come off the bench as the season progresses, and people will see just how big that will be for his game.
This is a cool post but why did you say “you still can’t leave him open” and even emphasize the STILL. Yea no shit you can’t leave him open Lol
Dude he was so bad last year with the Warriors man.
There would be games where he would help. But for every 1 of those. There were 3/4 games where he would shoot the warriors outta the game.
You know how many close games the warriors lost last season?? A fuck ton!!!
Warriors record without Klay? 5-0.
The dude was so fucking bad, they had to bench him for a rookie. Like man, I can’t explain to you how bad it was…