Klay Thompson is in the midst of the worst season of his career, performance-wise. Putting up identical stats to his sophomore year, the sharpshooter is merely recording 16.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. However, Thompson is aware that he is going through a tough stretch. After yet another lackluster performance, the shooting guard emotionally spoke and stated that he was in the “last chapter of his career”. Among the many personalities from the basketball community, Eddie Johnson expressed sympathy for Klay.
Advertisement
During the latest Golden State Warriors win over the Orlando Magic, Klay Thompson had yet another horrendous outing. Playing just above the 25-minute mark, the five-time All-Star recorded 15 points on 37.5% shooting from the three-point field goal. During the postgame conference, Thompson disclosed the details of his recent conversation with Steve Kerr. During this emotional rant, the four-time champion admitted that he channelled negative energy to the remaining members of the team.
“We had a conversation about just enjoying this last chapter of my career…He helped me realize I do have negative energy. How that affects the team,” Thompson admitted.
Eddie Johnson spoke about how difficult this situation would be for Thompson. The Phoenix Suns legend, who could relate with Klay, lauded the latter for being strong enough to own up to his flaws. Johnson even pin-pointed Thompson’s injuries as being the reason behind his subpar outings.
“It’s hard, man, like listening to Klay Thompson go through this… Man, I’ve been there… I’m so glad that he came out and said that because you can see it on his face… It’s unfortunate because of his injuries, it’s not because he can’t play anymore,” Johnson said.
Thompson’s support might be well received by most of the fans, however, the reasoning remains questionable. Klay was out with horrific injuries for two whole seasons. After tearing his ACL, Thompson even pulled his right Achilles. Despite suffering these potentially career-ending hurdles, the two-way star returned.
Being fully fit, he made his return in the middle of the 2021-2022 season and averaged 20.4 points and 3.9 rebounds. Thompson even played an integral role in the GSW’s championship run in 2022, as he recorded 19 points on 42.9% FG during the postseason. His performance went up a notch during the 2022-2023 season, averaging 21.9 points and 4.1 rebounds.
Since making his return, Thompson hasn’t suffered any major setbacks. So, blaming the injuries might not be accurate, however, no one knows if that has really started to affect him.
Did Klay Thompson speak about his retirement?
Ever since the press conference, fans of the Golden State Warriors are concerned. Usually when a player says “last chapter”, he is either referring to his final days with the franchise or the potential plan of retiring.
At age 33, Thompson still has a lot left in his tank. He might not be the capable starter that he has always been, however, having the Splash Brother on the roster would be beneficial. Plenty of teams in the NBA could use him as a solid presence coming off the bench. Further, the 6ft 6” star can also provide mentorship to the youngsters on the roster.
While Klay has been a harsh critic of himself, Stephen Curry and Draymond Green have been saying some great things about their teammate. Both Curry and Green shed light on the competitive side of Thompson while speaking highly of him.
“He’s [Thompson] relentless,” Curry said. “He shows up and makes an impact every time he’s on the floor. You love it when he’s locked in on both ends of the floor.”
“Klay might be more competitive than me,” Green said. “It’s all fuel for getting out there on that court and competing.”
Steve Kerr hasn’t hesitated to move his star players to the bench. Before Andrew Wiggins, Chris Paul was demoted to lead the team’s second unit. It could be beneficial for both – the team and Klay – if the head coach tried experimenting with a rotation with Thompson coming off the bench.
