A Warrior, Both Literally and Figuratively: A Reflection on Klay Thompson’s Journey and Unorthodox Season
Sacramento, CA (PSF) — Klay Thompson is no stranger to adversity, considering his path back to the NBA since the 2020s began.
Suffering back-to-back catastrophic injuries, missing two seasons rehabbing, and watching the Warriors struggle from the sidelines (they finished 54-83 in the two seasons he missed), Thompson triumphantly returned during the 2021-2022 season, during which the Warriors shocked the world and won an NBA Championship.
After 2 excruciating years, of being separated from the game he loved and the brotherhood on the court, he became a 4-time NBA Champion. Klay Thompson was the embodiment of a Golden State Warrior — the journey was difficult, unforgiving, and cruel, but he emerged an NBA Champion and a player who was just as effective as he was 3 years ago.
The unfair part of it all is that: the injury-recovery may not be the most difficult phase of his career.
Rehabbing from an injury, and watching your team on the sideline fuels you. It drives you to give everything to come back. This Klay Thompson was overflowing with confidence, with passion, and with the 2019 finals in mind, assurance that he could elevate this team when on the court.
When he came back, the Warriors won the finals. All that adversity had paid off, and they had reached the highest level of achievement relative to the NBA. The difficulties, the struggles, and the mental fortitude it took to rehab two commonly career-ending injuries became worth it for Thompson, who was a key contributor throughout those playoffs and saved the Warriors in a handful of games within that run.
Although exceedingly difficult, the path up to that point became worth it for Klay Thompson.
But sports are cruel.
Everything about sports is temporary. Players don’t play forever, or stay in their prime forever (except LeBron James).
After knocking off the rust during the return season, Thompson had a strong 2022-2023 season, averaging 21.9 points per game, his highest since the 2017-2018 season. To the naked eye, it seemed like the Klay Thompson of old was back.
But this Klay Thompson of old had a noticeable difference — a struggle to stay consistent from game to game.
Whether it was age or past injuries catching up with him, the defensive matchup, or something else entirely, what seemed like an outlier of bad games at first started to warp itself into a trend — a nasty one that juxtaposed 50+ percent shooting games with 4-15, 3-14, 6-19 shooting lines. This all culminated and reared its ugly head in the 2023 Western Conference Semifinals against the Lakers — where his two above-average games: (G1 — 25 pts, G2 — 30 pts) were followed by 10.5 points per game, and 26 percent shooting from games 3-6. His 3-19 shooting line in game 6 elicited questions from NBA media and Warriors fans alike, wondering whether these intense struggles would continue to become prominent in his play.
During the 2023-2024 season, with the inconsistencies persisting, Thompson was moved to the bench — for the first time since his rookie season. A difficult change for everyone involved, with emotions and frustrations high, Thompson, although in disagreement at first, adjusted beautifully as a pro’s pro and dropped 35 points in his first game off the bench.
Being the resilient, confident player he is, Thompson took the changing roles in stride — accepting a bench role, never complaining, and selflessly giving way for other Warriors such as Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, and Brandin Podziemski to emerge.
But for a four-time NBA Champion, 5-time All-Star, 2-time All-NBA, and 1-time All-Defensive Member, to be in this position is jarring, difficult, and uncomfortable — to be on the bench in key moments and situations, to be on the bench at tip-off, is a mental challenge. However, accomplishing as much as he had in his Warriors career, being a key contributor to 4 NBA Titles, Thompson could have resisted the challenge. Instead, he embraced it: “I embraced it before tip, and I deserved it really” he said after his 35-point bench outburst earlier that evening.
But this was a different type of mental strain, an entirely new beast. Rather than being involuntarily stuck on the sidelines, knowing you can contribute, the inverse occurs — in Thompson’s case, his struggles to positively contribute at key times, throughout the past two seasons, led him to be stuck on the sidelines, unable to contribute. Only this time, he could have been on the court, without the burden of injury. It was a cruel twist of fate.
Discourses flowed throughout NBA Media. “Klay Thompson is not who he used to be any more”. “Klay Thompson is washed”. “The Warriors are better without him”.
However, Thompson’s benching was just a piece of the puzzle that was the 2023-2024 Warriors’ struggles. Underperformance became the expectation, not the fear — applicable to the entire roster. Draymond Green faced his fair share of turbulence throughout the season as well, yet he persisted as well, just like Thompson. He was not alone in his struggles, yet his situation became magnified — micro-analyzed by media and fans alike, due to the accomplishments he accumulated.
There was enormous pressure on his shoulders, to rediscover who he once was in his prime at 34 years old, following two catastrophic injuries. But, as I said — sports are unforgiving: father time is undefeated. The outside pressure is suffocating and the expectations are demanding, and unfairly, Thompson was expected to be the player that he no longer was.
Thus, garnering the attention, were the lows: specifically the 37.9/34.9/90.4 shooting splits in the Warriors’ 36 losses this season. Shooting both to find a rhythm and taking open shots, the inconsistencies that presented themselves in those 36 losses, and became increasingly prevalent as the Warriors resided at the bottom of the Western Conference playoff picture.
What the media focused on less, was that Thompson was still effective: averaging 17.9 ppg on 43.2/38.7/92.7 shooting splits. Thompson was still a contributor until the end of the season: averaging 23.1 points per game on 49.6/43.7/100 shooting splits in 7 April games. He finished strong, with momentum, and confidence that hadn’t been present at times throughout the season. It seemed like the Warriors had collectively hit their stride, with Thompson spearheading their rounding into form.
And then came the Warriors @ Kings play-in game.
Thompson played 32 minutes. 0 points. 0-10 shooting. Disastrous. And coming off a 25-point performance just two days earlier. The first scoreless game for Thompson in over a decade, since his Rookie season.
The Warriors fell 94-118 to the Kings at the Golden 1 Center. Just a year after they had emerged victorious from their playoff series against them, and in a game where the Kings were missing two of their best shooting guards.
The vehement, toxic slander had already begun, as he took in the atmosphere, the feeling of being in a Warriors jersey, and the Warrior fans who populated the emptied arena.
Past the intense slander, and the NBA-wide celebration of the closing of the Warriors’ dynasty was a somber realization.
Was this it for the Warriors’ Big 3?
They had been together since 2012. Won 4 NBA Championships. After they were written off and dealt adversity with a multitude of injuries, they rebounded and won a championship in 2022, while many assumed the dynasty was over already.
The foundation of the dynasty had been cracking since then. As the cracks in the dynasty began to form last year, it gave out after the 2023-2024 season. A difficult, inconsistent, and disappointing season had begun to overshadow a group that accomplished more than most.
Head Coach Steve Kerr summed it up perfectly: “This is life. This is how it works. You don’t get to stay on top forever”.
This is precisely what made the outcome that much more jarring.
A once-dynasty, now finding themselves missing the playoffs, and seeing the greatness of the Big 3 falter on the NBA’s biggest stage.
And no performance was more heartbreaking than Klay Thompson’s — who had already endured so much physical and mental pain, inconsistencies with his role, and criticism the past few seasons: more than some players do in their entire career.
Klay Thompson following the Warriors’ 94-118 loss to the Kings on 4/16. PHOTO CREDIT: Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group
What’s next is uncertain. Klay Thompson will hit the free agent market at age 34, and looking for what could possibly be the last long-term deal of his career.
Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Steve Kerr have all expressed their desire to retain him.
Nobody was more explicit than Kerr, who commented that the team needs desperately him, and believes Thompson has more good years ahead of him.
For the Warriors’ brass, it isn’t that simple. As much as they would love to retain one of the greatest players in their franchise’s history, their salary situation is already a precarious predicament. Assets may need to be parted with this offseason, and Owner Joe Lacob has stated that paying the projected luxury tax (176.8 million dollars as of 4/16) and heavy investments for a non-playoff team is not acceptable.
The Warriors don’t have the flexibility to make significant changes unless franchise-altering moves are made. Theoretically, that would begin with moving on from trade-investments Chris Paul and Andrew Wiggins, and possibly longtime Warrior Kevon Looney.
But moving on from Klay is difficult, beyond the finances. The best player in franchise history, Stephen Curry, may be opposed to it. Draymond Green lobbied for Klay to be brought back. The Head Coach you extended through 2026 pleaded for Thompson’s return.
The days of Thompson potentially returning to Golden State on one last max contract are over. Teams can theoretically offer more than the Warriors, and a consistent starting spot. This is uncharted territory, a genuine chance that one of the Big 3 could potentially leave the Warriors under their own volition.
However the situation unfolds, the disappointing season and end should not take away from the pure incredibility of Klay Thompson’s journey and impact. His struggles were a microcosm of the Warriors’ collective struggle as a team and coaching-wise.
Again — Klay Thompson is a four-time NBA Champion, 5-time All-Star, 2-time All-NBA, and 1-time All-Defensive Member.
He came back from two injuries considered the most catastrophic in sports (tears of the ACL and Achilles). Not only did he come back and play well — he contributed to an NBA Championship. He would win the 2022 Comeback Athlete of the Year at the ESPY Awards.
His foundation, the Thompson Family Foundation, launched the 941 Project, which assists and supports re-entry into the workplace, for individuals from disadvantaged situations. A tribute to the 941 days Thompson spent rehabbing injuries, to return to the NBA court, he channeled that experience into a way of aiding others in need.
He scored 37 points in one quarter. He hit 14 threes in one game, the NBA record. He scored 60 points on just 11 dribbles.
He is one of the greatest shooters ever. An integral part of many title teams. A pioneer for the integral 3&D wing on NBA teams.
Teammates flocked to him. They flocked to him as 4X NBA Champion Klay Thompson, Captain Klay, and just Klay Thompson himself. Teammates not only respected who he was, but how he carried himself.
Klay Thompson is more than a 0-10 play-in performance. He may not be the Klay Thompson of the dynasty, but as I have expressed throughout this piece: father time is undefeated. Players are never at their best forever. We use the term “prime (player)” for a reason.
Recency bias channels the attention and energy to the recent lows. Although wounds are still fresh, emotions are still high, and changes will be coming for the Golden State Warriors — Thompson can still be defined by an incredibly successful career.
The temporality of sports is jarring, no question. For both players and fans, this is true. However, Klay Thompson accepted a bench role and acknowledged the struggles and limitations at this stage in his career. Fans and media, rather than focusing on the conclusion of his prime, should work to do the same as Thompson, by learning to accept that he is the player he is now. By no means is he washed — as I said, he is still at mid-teens point per game scorer and an above-average three-point shooter, but he’s no longer the Klay Thompson we saw at the apex of the Warriors’ dynasty.
And that’s okay.
Because Klay Thompson’s journey with the Warriors was an incredible, inspiring success.
