Warriors' Klay Thompson to return vs. Cavaliers on Sunday
Klay Thompson will no longer be disappointed by being sidelined on the bench. Now Thompson's source of happiness will no longer be from enjoying the outdoors or his dog.
Thompson returns to the court when the Golden State Warriors (29-9) host the Cleveland Cavaliers (21-17) at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Sunday, making the former five-star All-Star appearance for the first time in 941 days. A basketball game after nursing season-ending injuries to his left knee (2019-20) and right Achilles tendon (2020-21).
Thompson did not speak after Saturday's practice, which saw a scuffle with his teammates. Warriors coach Steve Kerr joked that Thompson forgot to talk to Thompson about his condition after practice, encouraging reporters to monitor his phone moments before sharing the news on social media.
Nonetheless, Kerr predicted that Thompson's return would be "one of the most emotional games any of us would ever be a part of" as both a former NBA player (1988–2002) and Warriors head coach (2014–present). in the form of. So much so that Kerr compared Thompson's return when Michael Jordan returned from his first retirement from the NBA on March 19, 1995 against the Indiana Pacers on the road after spending the past year and a half playing in the Chicago White Sox's minor-league system . During the team's second three-peat run (1996–98), Kerr played with Jordan in Chicago.
"I have no doubt that when Kel first walks on the floor, I'll never forget that game," Kerr said. “It will stand as one of the highlights of my entire basketball existence, because of who Kel is and how much he means to our franchise and to the Bay Area, and to me personally and to his teammates. He is everyone. He is my favorite boy and we all have seen him suffer for two and a half years. It will be very emotional."
The Warriors have handled Thompson carefully to ensure that he does not suffer any major injuries for the third season in a row. The Warriors cleared Thompson for full contact practice in mid-November and trained him with the team's G League affiliate in Santa Cruz. Thompson scuffled with the Warriors' debut during an unplanned practice in Denver last week when their game against the Nuggets was postponed, something Kerr described as "an important milestone."
Kerr said that Thompson "looks great" in all the scrimmages, while the Warriors added Juan Toscano-Anderson, with Thompson scoring 12 points in a 43-second period in one of those games. But even if Kerr plans to start Thompson in a homage to the credentials and skills of the five-time All-Stars, Thompson will face an unspecified minute ban.
"It will take a while for Kel to settle down and our team to settle down," Kerr said. "Buhat kuch chal raha hai. Two and a half years return. It's going to take him some time to find his rhythm and build up his conditioning and stamina and our team will have to get used to new rotations and new roles, things like that. That's the season." The thing is."
The point of Thompson's return against Cleveland also held a special meaning. All parties were adamant that Thompson would play the Warriors' home game first. As Thompson recently said, "I want to play in front of my fans. That's what they deserve. For the first time in two years, they deserve to see me in the home team."
The last time Warriors fans saw Thompson in uniform was the Warriors' decisive Game 6 loss to the Toronto Raptors in the 2019 NBA Finals and the shortest moment of his 10-year NBA career.
On June 13, 2019, Thompson tore an ACL in his left knee at the end of the third quarter when then Raptors guard Danny Green opted for a fast-break layup from behind. Thompson landed awkwardly on his left foot before falling to the ground and grunting at the paint. After teammates helped him in the locker room, Thompson returned to the court to make two free throws. But later he left the court and was soon taken to a nearby hospital for imaging. It was there that Thompson learned of the seriousness of his injury.
This was only the beginning of Thompson's adversity. After spending the latter year rehabilitating his left knee, Thompson tore his right Achilles tendon while brawling with other NBA players in Los Angeles on the day of the NBA Draft. Thompson said the injury occurred after taking two dribble pull-ups, a move he said he performed "100 times a day."The Warriors had won three NBA championships in five consecutive Finals, partly because of Thompson's outside shooting, perimeter defense, and team-first attitude. The Warriors plunged into the NBA Draft Lottery (2019–20) in a season that coincided with the free-agent departure of Kevin Durant for Brooklyn, Stephen Curry's right thumb injury that cost him five games as well. All was sidelined for the trade of Andre Iguodala, which eventually brought him to Miami.
The Warriors had won three NBA championships in five consecutive Finals, partly because of Thompson's outside shooting, perimeter defense, and team-first attitude. The Warriors plunged into the NBA Draft Lottery (2019–20) in a season that coincided with the free-agent departure of Kevin Durant for Brooklyn, Stephen Curry's right thumb injury that cost him five games as well. All was sidelined for the trade of Andre Iguodala, which eventually brought him to Miami.
During the 2020–21 season, the Warriors again appeared in the NBA play-in tournament relying on Curry's MVP-caliber campaign and Green's defense, while experiencing hiccups with rookie center James Wiseman, before returning to his Was suffering a knee injury, an ailment which has put him on edge.
Meanwhile, Thompson described the last year as "the worst year of my life." Not only did Thompson suffer two season-ending injuries, he also struggled to navigate through the pandemic, losing his grandmother and coping with the tragedy of Kobe and Gianna Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash nearly two years earlier. He was one of nine people. Nevertheless, people within the organization praised Thompson for being disciplined and having a positive outlook with the rehab. He often spent time reading, playing chess or playing with his dog Rocco on his boat to cope with his long absence.
For this season, the Warriors (29–9) have the second-best record in the Western Conference for a variety of reasons. Curry and Drummond Green remain healthy and in all-star form. The warriors reunite with Igodala. And they have further developed some quality role players including Jordan Poole, Jonathan Kuminga, Otto Porter Jr. and Kevon Looney.
“We have such a great, deep team that I don’t have to come back and do a bigger load,” said Thompson, who recently predicted he would play 18 minutes at the start. “We are so deep and talented. That I can ease things up, for which I am really grateful."
The Warriors are grateful to have Thompson, who became one of the best two-way players in the NBA, becoming a five-time All-Star. This raises two questions.
First, can Thompson still remain an elite shooter?
"Shot, I never worry," Thompson said. "The hardest part when you come back from a long layoff is the timing and the rhythm and the conditioning aspect of the game."
Second, can Thompson still remain an elite defender?
"I feel really good," Thompson said. “Honestly, I give credit to myself and credit to training staff. There are times during the long process that you really doubt yourself whether you will be the same type of player. When I come back, I feel like myself and feel great. I think it will take a few games or a few weeks to become an All-Star again.
In just 24 hours, Warriors will see how the process begins with Thompson.
"He's Klay Thompson; he's a Hall of Famer," Kerr said. “The question is really how long will it take to find his rhythm, to really gain his confidence and time and all that. No one is predicting this. All he needs is a representative. Our team needs a representative with him. We will let it manifest naturally."
