Klay Thompson entered this season not as a very happy player but has remained steadfast on the court. His contribution to the Golden State Warriors cannot be overlooked by anyone in the NBA community. A trio with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green which resulted in four NBA championships since being drafted in 2011.
In the current season, it seems Klay hasn’t found his feat yet. He is not so prolific on the court and has earned criticism from fans and enthusiasts due to his performances. Amid Klay Thompson’s struggle, Curry added a late show in the Warriors’ recent defeat to the Sacramento Kings.
Stephen Curry chooses shot over open Klay Thompson
The Warriors experienced a significant meltdown against the Kings on Tuesday night. Golden State required a victory over Sacramento by 12 points or more to progress to the knockout round of the In-Season Tournament. Early in the game, they had a commanding lead of up to 24 points. However, disaster struck as they went on to squander their lead, ultimately losing 124-123 on a game-winning shot by Malik Monk.
A particular incident happened in the match that ignited several reactions from fans. Curry refused to give a throw pass to struggling shooter Klay Thompson, who was in a good position to receive the pass and was left frustrated even more. This could be a sign of a lack of trust from his teammates, owing to his below-average performance since the start of the season.
A fan asked why Curry refused to pass the ball to Klay Thompson. “I don’t understand this. Why didn’t Steph pass this to Klay?!!?”
Another fan argues in support of Stephen Curry, drawing attention to Klay Thompson’s bad form this season, “It’s his shot to take plus, have you seen Klay shoot this year? A better question is, why did Kerr take Moody out he had 11 in the quarter and was 3-3 from 3?”
Klay Thompson still managed to put up 20 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 assists against the Kings in spite of Curry’s rejection. After 37 minutes of play, Stephen Curry finished with 29 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1 block. During that time, he made 8 of 20 field goals and 4 of 12 three-pointers. Curry was not at his best on Tuesday, despite being among the best performers.
Klay Thompson faces tough start to the season amid contract uncertainty
There is no need to beat around the bush. The Warriors’ early struggles stem largely from the limited offensive output of Thompson and Wiggins. Nevertheless, there have been times when both starters have looked promising, such as when Wiggins scored 31 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder on November 18 or when Thompson scored 20 points in two straight games—November 20 against the Houston Rockets and November 22 against the Phoenix Suns—totaling 23 points. Thompson is a free agent at the end of the season, and Kerr has repeatedly noted that he has had a poor start.
However, this season’s early poor performances from Thompson feel different. Though many suggest contract negotiations seem to be weighing on him, according to sources cited by ESPN, he appears noticeably more frustrated during games. There are instances where he sits alone on the end of the bench during timeouts or slaps his head after a poor shot. In Friday’s win against the San Antonio Spurs, Thompson expressed his frustration by throwing his towel after picking up his second personal foul at the end of the first half, exiting the court to the locker room before halftime.
While Thompson has failed to score 20 points in his first 13 games of the season—the longest streak he has had since his rookie year—he has scored at least 20 points in two of his past three games. According to Second Spectrum, even though he is among the top five players this season in terms of catch-and-shoot 3-point attempts, his percentage (35.6%) on those shots is among the lowest five of the 26 players with at least 70 tries.
