Kyle Terada, USA TODAY Sports
Klay Thompson Could Have Developed Into The Warriors Most Important Player
On face value it might seem a stretch, before you dismiss this, let’s look at a couple of things.
Klay is not the most talented player in Golden State, but he could be the most valuable alongside Draymond Green.
If you think about what Klay does for the Warriors, it’s actually unbelievable. As powerful as the Warriors are offensively, this team cannot be successful if it wasn’t for players like Klay sacrificing on the other end of the floor. In the “golden era of guards” that we have in today’s NBA, Klay Thompson defends the opponent’s best guard every single night. After consistently doing great jobs in this area, although that feat is amazing in itself, it goes to a whole different level when you think about what he’s able to still do offensively.
The thing people don’t realize is with Durant’s arrival, everyone’s game will have to change, except Klay’s. Klay will still get open shots and continue to flourish in a secondary or third scoring option. He’s the most effective player the Warriors have, who doesn’t need to be ball dominant to impact the game. His movement off the ball as well as his spacing allows him to basically change nothing about his game, even with Durant sharing the floor at the same time.
During this small sample size in preseason, I have already seen this. The Warriors are making a conscious effort to get Durant the basketball and surprisingly, Steph has found himself as the third option quite often. Due to his movement and effectiveness off the ball, Klay has continued to get open looks and score the ball with the Warriors excellent spacing.
It may seem crazy, but Klay Thompson allows the Warriors to be the juggernaut they are. His selflessness and lack of superstar ego allows everything to work in unison. Not to mention, he is by far the Warriors best two way player.
Klay flies under the radar, but he’s more important than you think. He could be the Warriors most important player when you really think about it.
