Klay Thompson ‘Could Thrive’ in Reduced Role for Warriors

It virtually feels a lifetime ago since the Golden State Warriors played their last game of the 2023-24 NBA season, in which Klay Thompson capped off a campaign in which he struggled throughout with a zero-point outing in an elimination game in the Play-In tournament.

But, with the five-time All-Star out of contract in the summer and potentially entering the free-agency market, league insider Mark Medina believes that Thompson will stay with the Warriors, and could ‘thrive’ in a reduced role alongside Stephen Curry and co.

Warriors Could Be In for Roster Overhaul

Klay Thompson, Chris Paul, among others are linked with moves away

The Warriors could be set for some huge changes to their roster over the coming months, with some of their star names being linked with moves away from the team, one of which is Chris Paul, who after a lone season in the Bay Area could be on the move once again.

With the 39-year-old’s contract becoming fully guaranteed on June 28th, where he is set to earn $30 million, the Warriors may decide to move on from the veteran, with him having been linked as a ‘real possibility’ to land with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Andrew Wiggins is another potential departure, with the swingman having struggled with form throughout the regular season campaign, leading to him having the worst season of his career at both ends of the ball.

But, it is one of the Warriors’ mainstays for many years whose future seems to be the most uncertain.

Set to enter free-agency this summer for the first time in his career, Klay Thompson could wind up suiting up for a team other than the Warriors for the very first time, after a lackluster season, particularly at the start, which looked to have shot his confidence.

However, this hasn’t seemed to have deterred teams from chasing him, with the Philadelphia 76ers the latest team to have reported their interest in the 34-year-old sharpshooter, thought to want to offer him a one-plus-one deal to join the team.

The Orlando Magic have been another team on the radar for Thompson as they search for some much-needed three-point shooting to join their offense, with which it is believed that the shooting guard holds mutual interest with the Floridian side, who have in the region of $60 million available in cap space.

Thompson Has Always Been Dubbed ‘Low-Maintenance’

Medina believes that Thompson could be effective in a slightly reduced role for the Warriors if they were to go forward together, citing that in the past he has not complained about receiving fewer touches over previous years.

However, the journalist does note that if he is to be able to fully embrace a lessened role, then he will need to try and up his defensive output, and perform closer to what he showcased prior to his back-to-back season-ending injuries a few years ago.

Leaving a Poor Campaign in the Past

17.9 PPG in 2023-24 was the third-lowest scoring output of his 11-season career

The 2023-24 regular season has certainly been one to forget for 34-year-old Thompson.

Having earned the nickname as one half of the Splash Brothers duo with Curry due to his stellar three-point shooting ability, especially in catch-and-shoot situations, his offensive production looked miles off the pace this season.

He ultimately ended the campaign averaging 17.9 points on 43.2 percent shooting from the field, and 38.7 percent from downtown, along with 3.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists.

His shot attempts from the field were down, attempting only 14.7 shots per outing, the fewest he has taken since 2012-13 (14.7), though still the second-most on the Warriors.

But, it was arguably his most recent outing, and potentially his last in a Warriors uniform, which is the most memorable.

In a must-win game in the Play-In tournament which would have kept their playoff hopes alive against the Sacramento Kings, the usually deep-range threat became a non-factor, in which he went scoreless, having shot 0-for-10.

The Warriors would go on to lose the game in blowout fashion, being held to below 100 points, and losing by a score of 118-94.

He joined only four other players in NBA history – though something he certainly wishes he wasn’t a part of – to have shot 0-for-10 or worse from the field in a post-season game, joining Max Strus, Reggie Bullock, Trevor Ariza, and Marvin Williams.

Thompson did improve on his defensive production towards the end of the season, in which he finished the campaign holding his opponents to 45.6 percent from the field overall, 2.0 percent lower than their season average of 47.7 percent.

This was the fourth-best mark among his teammates to have played more than 50 regular season games, and shows that he can still impact the team with his defensive work.

As such, he would still be a great fit for the Warriors should they mutually agree that they want to stay together, but with Thompson drawing interest from elsewhere, either party may decide that it is in both of their best interests to ultimately part ways.

With the off-season fast approaching, this should become clearer soon.

All statistics courtesy of Statmuse, ESPN, NBA.com and Basketball Reference.

Related

Cleveland Cavaliers Should Pursue a Reunion With an All-Time Great This Offseason

The Cleveland Cavaliers need to keep their momentum after the best stretch they’ve had without LeBron James in 30 years.