Former NBA champion and ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins was fired-up in light of the disrespect shown to Klay Thompson lately.
Advertisement
According to various reports, Klay Thompson will be returning to the NBA hardwood on Sunday against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The three-time champion has missed back-to-back seasons due to catastrophic injuries, his last game being Game Six of the 2019 NBA Finals.
The Golden State Warriors are currently the first seed in the NBA, playing phenomenal basketball under the leadership of Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. Thus it is the perfect time for Thompson to return since he wouldn’t have a lot of added pressure and can take his time to get accustomed.
On the occasion of the league completing 75-years, the NBA announced its 75th-anniversary team. Surprisingly, Thompson didn’t make the cut, something he feels will add to his fuel to perform this year. The five-time All-Star is a career 41.9% shooter from the 3-point line.
During a recent episode of ESPN’s First Take, Kendrick Perkins reminded everyone who Thompson was and his impact on the Warriors franchise.
Kendrick Perkins addresses the disrespect meted out to Klay Thompson.
In what many believe, Thompson is an all-time top 5 shooter. The 31-year old is one of the top two-way guards in the league, something for which he hasn’t received enough credit. Thompson has averaged 19.3 PPG on 41.5% shooting from the 3-point line in his total playoff appearances.
However, the Warriors sniper was not a part of the league’s 75th-anniversary team, something that raised many eyebrows if you had a look at Thompson’s resume. Thus with only a few days left for his highly anticipated return, Perkins addressed the viewers of First Take.
“I feel we all forgot who the hell Klay Thompson is,” said Big Perk. This guy is a top 75 greatest player of all time, and let me take you down memory lane. See no disrespect to Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins. Those guys are playing phenomenal basketball right now in the regular season. But when it matters the most, Klay Thompson has shown us time and time again that he is capable of being the best player on the floor, like in 2016 in the WCF against OKC in an elimination game on the road. When he went for nineteen in the fourth quarter, when they were down eight going into the fourth. See the thing is Thompson takes soo much pressure off Steph Curry.”
Big Perk added how teams have been ganging up their defense on Curry, who has been struggling a bit off-late. The return of Thompson would not allow that to happen any further, making the splash brothers the dominant backcourt again.
With only a few days left for his return, Warriors fans are nothing but ecstatic to see the second half of the splash brothers make his overdue comeback.
