Warriors: Klay Thompson’s evolution is showing itself after win in Utah
To win, the Warriors didn’t need Thompson to go scorched Earth from beyond the arc; on two surgically-repaired legs in his 34th year, Thompson’s teammates need him to embrace what the game gives.
“Looked really good tonight. He looked composed. Not forcing anything,” Draymond Green said. “He looked like he was just at peace.”
This hasn’t been a peaceful year for Thompson. At its peaks, Thompson plays like he did in Utah — as an evolved version of himself that can lay low on nights he doesn’t have his legs, but keeps defenses preoccupied as a threat to pop off into a scoring frenzy on a dime. In its valleys, Thompson grows visibly upset that he’s not always the bonafide second option, the go-to closer and scorer he was before his two major injuries.
His frustrations bubble to the surface when coach Steve Kerr benches him to close games while he struggles. He kicked chairs and threw objects after being benched late in a loss to Phoenix in November. He expressed a realization that he’d gone from “one of the best players” to a mere mortal in crunch time when rookie Brandin Podziemski and G League call-up Gui Santos got to close over him in a win over the Brooklyn Nets last week.
After not closing a win against the Suns on Saturday, Thompson sat fully dressed in his game-worn jersey with a towel over his head, staring daggers at the inside of his locker. Jerome Robinson gave him a shoulder-squeeze of encouragement on his way out and Thompson chucked his phone into his locker in frustration — not with Robinson, but with himself.
It may be deduced that Thompson’s frustrations signal a refusal to accept his new reality. But it only reveals Thompson’s outlier competitiveness as a double-edged sword.
“I feel like I’m handling it good. I understand there will be ups and downs,” Thompson said. “You want to be as consistent as possible, but at least I’m out there playing and healthy.”
Thompson’s future with the Warriors may depend on how he balances his passion with reason. Will he go searching for a contract that rewards the player he used to be and, perhaps, still thinks is somewhere in him? Or will he settle into something that suits how he’s matured?
Despite his outward dismay, Thompson told The Ringer he knows he will have to accept a lesser role in the last part of his career. Thompson referenced his idol Ray Allen, a superstar who embraced a lesser role with the Miami heat
