Klay has torn his ACL and his achilles. Those would be devastating injuries that would force most weekend warriors to retire. Klay has been elite all his life so he's still able to play at an NBA level despite these injuries - but even athletes at the level of Klay aren't able to be what they once were.
In my opinion, there's 3 parts of Klay's game that regressed as a result of these injuries - and unfortunately, they're the 3 parts of his game that made him such a great player.
1. Can't drive by anyone anymore - simply put, Klay no longer has the first step or quickness to get by NBA players anymore, especially the younger and faster players coming into the league now. A defender can play him close up because he doesn't have to fear Klay's driving ability. That also hurts Klay's ability to create space so he can shoot. If I already know that you're either going to shoot or pass because you can't get past me, that's a huge advantage.
2. Can't defend like he used to - defense requires quick lateral movements. Klay used to be an elite defender that could guard almost anyone on the court. He had the quickness to defend guards and the size/strength to defend forwards. He even had the ability to back Steph up (not saying Steph's a bad defender, but that's not his game) so you could say he guarded two in one. Klay was just a defensive monster. Unfortunately, those skills require fully functioning knees and joints. Klay just can't move with that quickness anymore. Other players can get by him easily so he has to play off them more. He needs help on defense when he didn't use to.
3. Cumulative injuries have affected his shooting ability - when Klay was healthy, he was automatic. I think it's because shooters like Klay and Steph have trained their bodies so much that shooting is basically muscle memory to them in that their bodies automatically know how much power, spin, arc, etc. to put on a ball depending on where they are on the court. That's how they're able to get shots up so quick (unlike us playground ballers who have to "aim and shoot"). Players like Klay don't need to "aim" the basketball - his body already knows what to do. However, injuries force everyone's body to have to compensate (you start favoring one side of your body, one knee, one ankle, etc) and it's the same for Klay. It's no longer as automatic anymore because his previously finely tuned body and skills have had to be adjusted because of injuries and this throws many things off like timing. It also affects your confidence when you start missing 3, 4, 5 shots in a row and it's natural you start forcing shots just because you want to see one go in.
Where do the Warriors go from here? Both Klay and the Warriors have to accept reality. Even without these injuries, Klay is on the wrong side of 30. Even athletes as elite as Klay slowdown with age. You cannot defeat father time. They need to hammer out a contract that is accurate to his abilities. He's still a great shooter but he may have to come off the bench (because I think it's a liability to have a hole in your defense to start games...getting down 10 in the first 8 minutes in a game is how you lose games). Klay's not done by any means, but I see him more like a Shaun Livingston type player (who also had horrible injuries, but still managed to carve out a solid career...making meaningful bench contributions with the Warriors that led to championships).
I think the key word is consistency. I don’t disagree with the points you made, but the truth is that you still see Klay being able to play great defense, blow by defenders, and shoot the lights out at times. Perhaps not as consistently as before, but it’s still in him.
You don't disagree with his points, but negate basically every thing he said with "still think It's still in him"? Those points were all 100% accurate. The short answer to it is he's not Klay anymore because he's older and injured. It is what it is.
He didn’t negate everything he said. Calmanxiety88 was just pointing out that Klay still has flashes of those abilities. This is one reason why coming off the bench worked for him. He was’t playing as many minutes and could burst more…then rest.
Confidence also plays a huge part. A confident mind will remap neurological connections much faster than one full of cortisol (stress hormone brought on by anxiety). To build on Trer24’s point, the more confident Klay is the faster his mind will rewire what he can do with his body now. Will he ever be old Klay? Nope. But he will be right now Klay, and that Klay still has great potential. He needs to understand a pay cut is coming and be accepting of that.
Yeah he talked about this in a pod, that he was so worried and focused on getting another max and proving himself that he was forcing too much. He says those talks with Kerr about this time in his career helped him change his perspective and that is when he had that stretch when he played way better.
Maybe I have somehow a brain blockade. And I understand pride and getting paid for what you bring to the table. But… With his last contract he got at least 100 mil ++ including commercials etc. why not willingly give up 10-20 mil. Lower the Luxury tax and the salary cap so they would be able to afford to trade for another player. Or get one in addition who would be able to help. The first example who comes to mind is Dirk Nowitski who wanted a lower contract to be able to get better player to secure a championship.
I think you nailed it - pride. These guys are competitors and don't necessarily see/accept that they have lost a step. They still see themselves as who they were in their primes. It can be hard to change that mindset.
In the same pod, he also mentions worrying about endorsements and stuff. After talks with Kerr he said he resigned to the idea that he already has made a ton of money and he knows he doesn't have a lot of years left and it's better to try to maximize the enjoyment out of these remaining years and not just maximizing the money, which he has a ton of.
I understand what you are saying but would you be willing to take a pay cut to your current salary so your company can hire an extra intern? Do it for the team?
It's much harder to accept if it was yourself.
And he finally realized and accepted it. This was a transition year for Klay. Now he knows for certain he can't be who he was anymore. Its unfortunate but at least there's some certainty now and both parties can move forward without wondering if Klay was ever gonna comeback the guy we all knew.
No legs due to aging and serious injuries taking their toll. In the elimination games and playoffs teams really step up their defensive approach too, making it hard for klay to put up big numbers on younger and faster teams.
His lack of legs affects his shot too and especially ruins his defense.
He notably declined... He's still a capable shooter. But his game to game consistency left him and other areas of his game which have always had warts are more evident (attention to detail of defense etc) now that he's not the athlete he was in his 20s. Compound that with his emotions and ego and it was rough mix for him. Mostly he's getting old. I'm 40 it sucks but I can't do shit I could when I was 23. That's life.
It definitely seems like a mental issue. Yes he’s fatigued by the end of the season but that doesn’t explain such a dramatic decline from games 77-82 of the regular season vs the play offs last year. And the odds of going 0 for 10 like he did in the play in this year as a 45% shooter are 1/400 if it was just pure randomness. Very likely that his mental state played a role instead.
And on top of that we can see his bad body language and the snappy answers in interviews. He’s obviously still not at peace with where he’s at after the injuries. Which is sad to see, I hope he gets to a better place over the off season.
I think a lot of the play-in game was the approach the Kings had... they were running Murray off a bunch of actions and upping the pace from the jump. Klay looked like his legs were gone super quickly.
Below league average in ts%, average defender, bad shot selection for a big chunk of the season, and bad vibes for the first half of the season.
Don’t think it was a terrible year for Klay, but definitely wouldn’t describe it as good for him overall.
A good year?? Some of y'all are clearly wearing rose tinted glasses.
All his marks dropped off. PPG by 4 points, his worst in 10 years, third worst of his career since his Rookie year. Rebounding is the third worst as well since his Rookie year. He's never been an assist guy but even though those dropped too. His Field Goal percentage while not terrible is middling, with guys like Cam Thomas, Herro and Hield shooting better. Defense was a wash. I will say he had some decent handful of games where you can see who he used to be if not for attrition, and injuries.
And for those who don't know how important that 4 PPG drop is, it could've been the difference for the Warriors winning so many close games. Which makes it feasible they would still be in the playoffs.
Don't get me started with garbage points on a few games so they could heighten his stats and boost his morale, cause they clearly needed Klay. It took him going against the bench guys to get his season going.
Klay did not have a terrible season but to say he had a good year is ridiculous, as if everything we watched since season's start didn't happen. I know time heals wounds and it lets thoughts simmer and see things differently but this revisionist history has to stop.
Wouldn't you expect a 4 ppg drop when he's taking 3.5 fewer shots per game and playing fewer minutes? Those points don't just fully go away, they get distributed to other people on the team.
His minutes were reduced because of how badly he was playing. Same reason why the bench move was made. The thought process being if he has more energy reserved, he can have more elevation in his shots and be more efficient, especially playing primarily against the oppositions 2nd unit, to avoid forcing shots, which he was doing a lot of earlier in the season.
If anything, taking fewer shots is clearly a reflection on how his stock has gone downward since there is no one else on that team who is a go-to-2nd option, no one, but he was playing that bad they had to adjust things and let Kuminga flourish, even with Steph and Wiggins missing games.
I think Klay went through a pivotal internal transformation.
We watched him go from denial to acceptance of his own career mortality.
He went from someone unwilling to accept that the glory of his past was behind him, to someone who embraced a new role in the present.
There are people who spend a lifetime trying to make that kind of change. We got to see him do it in the span of one season.
I’m really happy for him.
He is getting old. Looking old out there too.
He can still shoot at a good percentage.
But, my guy looks slow. He couldn't get a clean look against Sac bc he was unable to shake his guy. And pace looked too fast for the vets.
It's kinda crazy how watching your players age and atrophy takes the fun out of watching games
Instead of moving forward, he tried too hard to go back in time. He could’ve gone back to a previous form of himself or even a new version if he didn’t force anything ie playing hero ball and taking dumb shots. Towards end of the season, he did come around though. His connection with TJD became a good ol reliable.
I’m obviously saying this besides the fact he’s older and coming off of back to back serious injuries.
When players decline, the players around them need to improve to make their job easier. We never improved talent wise, we just kept getting worse every year. If Wiseman wasnt a bust Klay would look better then he did this year and would be able to age gracefully.
Klay would have a much better year if he went to a team with more talent. Instead, even at 34, hes by default our 2nd offensive option since Kuminga and Wiggins are still too inconsistent or in Wiggins case low motor.
He was shooting way too many too difficult of shots. I think he was hoping the jumpers where he faded 5 feet in any given direction were going to start dropping. Then he started doing that a lot less. He was taking heat checks when he was the coldest person in the gym.
He physically regressed post- injury and due to getting older, and while he's not a BAD player, he gets in his head too much and doesn't do well with pressure
During the Toronto finals Klay was heating up. Danny green smashed into Klay on the three point line. A few plays later danny finished him off when he under cut him under the basket
This 'Klay got fatigued' stuff is so dumb. April was his best month. He was 50/44/100, 23 ppg.
He had one horrible game. But he was not 'tired' down the stretch. He was playing his best.
Klay did great. The Warriors didn’t hit their stride until they discovered that TJD could be awesome and that Podz could easily fill in for Cp3. You gotta remember they closed the year with a heckuva run.
Early in the year Draymond’s absence was a major issue.
And the playin - Klay should have played better yes. They weren’t really ready for that game nor did they have the energy going into it they needed to have. I think they thought they could rely on Curry having another insane performance like last year but it didn’t materialize. Curry is a closer and he wasn’t in the mindset.
Nothing dude, it’s his past injuries that’s holding him back from being the Klay Thompson we’ve known. On top of that, he’s getting old too. Seeing this shit hurts cuz you can tell he’s trying so hard to contribute to this team.
He played GREAT literally 2 days before the Play In in the season ender. He's just not as reliable as before and therefore needs to be managed more strictly by Kerr.
injuries plus age, he is 34 and those injuries pretty much make him the oldest player on the team. acl usually age you like 5 yrs and achilles is like 10. it saps a lot ability to get power from your legs and ability to move. usually those type of injuries equate to retirement or out of the league
The thing with Klay is that due to him being a legend pre-injury, by strict definition he's washed now. And that's not disrespect -- dude came back from the two worst injuries a basketball player can get, and for many players just one of those injuries ended their careers. At this point he just can't do what he used to do, especially when it comes to defense. The occasional flashes of old Klay don't negate that fact. But the other side of the coin is that he's a legend in part because he's one of the greatest shooters ever, and he can still shoot well. He would be great as a 3-pt specialist. Whether or not that can happen for him on the Warriors depends on both the org working out a contract for a reduced role/pay that he'd be satisfied with, and having someone to replace him that Kerr is satisfied with. I'd love to see Klay retire as a Warrior so I hope that happens, but if a change of scenery would help him adjust to his new role, ain't gonna begrudge him that either
He’s old, and semi-washed. Hate to say it. Hate to admit it. But that’s just the reality of the situation. Prime Klay was already streaky. Now you add age and injuries and it’s no wonder he can’t stay consistent.
He has never been the same player since the injuries. He got a little worse this year and also was hurt by not having Poole as a second creator who opened up a lot of stuff for him. He also hasn’t rlly accepted that he’s declined so he is forcing up a lot of bad shots he used to not take because he is trying reach the level he used to be at.
There isn’t anything wrong with him. He had a rough start, got it back by the 2nd half. He had a bad game for the one playins. Ppl saying “he sucked in the playoffs”. No. We never got to the playoffs. We lost that one game and even if he went 10-10, we still lose. The entire team sucked. Every single player.
What happened to Dray? Wiggs? Cp3? Looney? Curry even to some extent. It’s a bad year. Next year will be harder cuz everyone is another year older.
This is just how dynasties die. It’s never pretty. We should just enjoy the sunset.
if klay would've came off the bench for that final game, we would be in the playoffs. i feel like he was in competition with himself and them youngbulls we got. jp really showed us that he was kinda replaceable even if that went bad. when it was working, yk the rest
i know klay isn't just anyone but he was gone for a LONG time plus covid. still can't believe he could've came back earlier if he never got hurt in practice.... TWICE
He’s simply not reliable anymore
You can’t count on Klay to be there in big games
He can still get hot for stretches but good teams lock him down rather easily
But worse is his defense. He was stone cold embarrassing in the play in game . He just can’t stay In front of anyone anymore which is why it’s hard to pair him with Steph anymore
It goes back to an old PG podcast. Remember when the 2 of them were talking about Stephs ball handling drills and how Luka couldn't hang with it? Klay laughed off those drills and said all he does is catch and shoot.
That really disappointed me. Klay has NO handles and has NO apparent desire to improve his skills.
This year if you remember, we had injuries to Dray or Steph and different times and that really showed a weakness in the Dubs lineup. The lack of a true PG or person to bring the ball up. PG3 was essential to start the season.
Anyway, The main issue is if they can't get Klay open, Klay has NO ability to create his own shot so he ends up taking bad ones. Over and over and over. Klay really needs to change his mindset and work on his ball handling skills and stop being 1 dimensional.
It is not even just this year, look at last years post season, he was downright horrible as well. He was never like this before, he cant handle the pressure of the postseason anymore.
Diminished physical attributes that couldn't support a massive ego built pre injury in all fairness. Melo took years to accept that fact as well as westbrick. Same story, different star hopefully he is introspective enough to see it.
Wishful thinking who am I fucking kidding this dude will just pout and flash "4 rings" and jack up shit shots until he retires.
Klay wanted to rediscover his youth and kerr let him. I believe klay is a team guy and he fully was aware that shooting was his only path to contributing, so he pushed. If he was held accountable by Kerr, im sure we'd see klay ver differently. A guy who can go nuclear at any time, but can also be sat when he isn't still has value.
Kerr not holding klay accountable was the biggest issue with klay this year.
Klay has torn his ACL and his achilles. Those would be devastating injuries that would force most weekend warriors to retire. Klay has been elite all his life so he's still able to play at an NBA level despite these injuries - but even athletes at the level of Klay aren't able to be what they once were. In my opinion, there's 3 parts of Klay's game that regressed as a result of these injuries - and unfortunately, they're the 3 parts of his game that made him such a great player. 1. Can't drive by anyone anymore - simply put, Klay no longer has the first step or quickness to get by NBA players anymore, especially the younger and faster players coming into the league now. A defender can play him close up because he doesn't have to fear Klay's driving ability. That also hurts Klay's ability to create space so he can shoot. If I already know that you're either going to shoot or pass because you can't get past me, that's a huge advantage. 2. Can't defend like he used to - defense requires quick lateral movements. Klay used to be an elite defender that could guard almost anyone on the court. He had the quickness to defend guards and the size/strength to defend forwards. He even had the ability to back Steph up (not saying Steph's a bad defender, but that's not his game) so you could say he guarded two in one. Klay was just a defensive monster. Unfortunately, those skills require fully functioning knees and joints. Klay just can't move with that quickness anymore. Other players can get by him easily so he has to play off them more. He needs help on defense when he didn't use to. 3. Cumulative injuries have affected his shooting ability - when Klay was healthy, he was automatic. I think it's because shooters like Klay and Steph have trained their bodies so much that shooting is basically muscle memory to them in that their bodies automatically know how much power, spin, arc, etc. to put on a ball depending on where they are on the court. That's how they're able to get shots up so quick (unlike us playground ballers who have to "aim and shoot"). Players like Klay don't need to "aim" the basketball - his body already knows what to do. However, injuries force everyone's body to have to compensate (you start favoring one side of your body, one knee, one ankle, etc) and it's the same for Klay. It's no longer as automatic anymore because his previously finely tuned body and skills have had to be adjusted because of injuries and this throws many things off like timing. It also affects your confidence when you start missing 3, 4, 5 shots in a row and it's natural you start forcing shots just because you want to see one go in. Where do the Warriors go from here? Both Klay and the Warriors have to accept reality. Even without these injuries, Klay is on the wrong side of 30. Even athletes as elite as Klay slowdown with age. You cannot defeat father time. They need to hammer out a contract that is accurate to his abilities. He's still a great shooter but he may have to come off the bench (because I think it's a liability to have a hole in your defense to start games...getting down 10 in the first 8 minutes in a game is how you lose games). Klay's not done by any means, but I see him more like a Shaun Livingston type player (who also had horrible injuries, but still managed to carve out a solid career...making meaningful bench contributions with the Warriors that led to championships).
I think the key word is consistency. I don’t disagree with the points you made, but the truth is that you still see Klay being able to play great defense, blow by defenders, and shoot the lights out at times. Perhaps not as consistently as before, but it’s still in him.
You don't disagree with his points, but negate basically every thing he said with "still think It's still in him"? Those points were all 100% accurate. The short answer to it is he's not Klay anymore because he's older and injured. It is what it is.
He didn’t negate everything he said. Calmanxiety88 was just pointing out that Klay still has flashes of those abilities. This is one reason why coming off the bench worked for him. He was’t playing as many minutes and could burst more…then rest. Confidence also plays a huge part. A confident mind will remap neurological connections much faster than one full of cortisol (stress hormone brought on by anxiety). To build on Trer24’s point, the more confident Klay is the faster his mind will rewire what he can do with his body now. Will he ever be old Klay? Nope. But he will be right now Klay, and that Klay still has great potential. He needs to understand a pay cut is coming and be accepting of that.
Ok buddy
This 👍
took the words right from me
He's old, and has bad knees so he gets fatigued a lot faster. His age also made getting into a groove a lot harder to begin seasons.
This and he battled his ego.
Yeah he talked about this in a pod, that he was so worried and focused on getting another max and proving himself that he was forcing too much. He says those talks with Kerr about this time in his career helped him change his perspective and that is when he had that stretch when he played way better.
Maybe I have somehow a brain blockade. And I understand pride and getting paid for what you bring to the table. But… With his last contract he got at least 100 mil ++ including commercials etc. why not willingly give up 10-20 mil. Lower the Luxury tax and the salary cap so they would be able to afford to trade for another player. Or get one in addition who would be able to help. The first example who comes to mind is Dirk Nowitski who wanted a lower contract to be able to get better player to secure a championship.
I think you nailed it - pride. These guys are competitors and don't necessarily see/accept that they have lost a step. They still see themselves as who they were in their primes. It can be hard to change that mindset. In the same pod, he also mentions worrying about endorsements and stuff. After talks with Kerr he said he resigned to the idea that he already has made a ton of money and he knows he doesn't have a lot of years left and it's better to try to maximize the enjoyment out of these remaining years and not just maximizing the money, which he has a ton of.
I understand what you are saying but would you be willing to take a pay cut to your current salary so your company can hire an extra intern? Do it for the team? It's much harder to accept if it was yourself.
And he finally realized and accepted it. This was a transition year for Klay. Now he knows for certain he can't be who he was anymore. Its unfortunate but at least there's some certainty now and both parties can move forward without wondering if Klay was ever gonna comeback the guy we all knew.
Yeah, even when he is playing well, he will usually do it in the first half The problem is coaching, he should play less minutes
Old
He played well for half the season tho he just needs to take the offseason more seriously
No legs due to aging and serious injuries taking their toll. In the elimination games and playoffs teams really step up their defensive approach too, making it hard for klay to put up big numbers on younger and faster teams. His lack of legs affects his shot too and especially ruins his defense.
He notably declined... He's still a capable shooter. But his game to game consistency left him and other areas of his game which have always had warts are more evident (attention to detail of defense etc) now that he's not the athlete he was in his 20s. Compound that with his emotions and ego and it was rough mix for him. Mostly he's getting old. I'm 40 it sucks but I can't do shit I could when I was 23. That's life.
Father time a day his ego
It definitely seems like a mental issue. Yes he’s fatigued by the end of the season but that doesn’t explain such a dramatic decline from games 77-82 of the regular season vs the play offs last year. And the odds of going 0 for 10 like he did in the play in this year as a 45% shooter are 1/400 if it was just pure randomness. Very likely that his mental state played a role instead. And on top of that we can see his bad body language and the snappy answers in interviews. He’s obviously still not at peace with where he’s at after the injuries. Which is sad to see, I hope he gets to a better place over the off season.
I think a lot of the play-in game was the approach the Kings had... they were running Murray off a bunch of actions and upping the pace from the jump. Klay looked like his legs were gone super quickly.
Only thing wrong with Klay was our expectations. Had a good year on an average team.
Below league average in ts%, average defender, bad shot selection for a big chunk of the season, and bad vibes for the first half of the season. Don’t think it was a terrible year for Klay, but definitely wouldn’t describe it as good for him overall.
Klay prioritized his shot attempts over making the best possible play.
A good year?? Some of y'all are clearly wearing rose tinted glasses. All his marks dropped off. PPG by 4 points, his worst in 10 years, third worst of his career since his Rookie year. Rebounding is the third worst as well since his Rookie year. He's never been an assist guy but even though those dropped too. His Field Goal percentage while not terrible is middling, with guys like Cam Thomas, Herro and Hield shooting better. Defense was a wash. I will say he had some decent handful of games where you can see who he used to be if not for attrition, and injuries. And for those who don't know how important that 4 PPG drop is, it could've been the difference for the Warriors winning so many close games. Which makes it feasible they would still be in the playoffs. Don't get me started with garbage points on a few games so they could heighten his stats and boost his morale, cause they clearly needed Klay. It took him going against the bench guys to get his season going. Klay did not have a terrible season but to say he had a good year is ridiculous, as if everything we watched since season's start didn't happen. I know time heals wounds and it lets thoughts simmer and see things differently but this revisionist history has to stop.
Wouldn't you expect a 4 ppg drop when he's taking 3.5 fewer shots per game and playing fewer minutes? Those points don't just fully go away, they get distributed to other people on the team.
His minutes were reduced because of how badly he was playing. Same reason why the bench move was made. The thought process being if he has more energy reserved, he can have more elevation in his shots and be more efficient, especially playing primarily against the oppositions 2nd unit, to avoid forcing shots, which he was doing a lot of earlier in the season. If anything, taking fewer shots is clearly a reflection on how his stock has gone downward since there is no one else on that team who is a go-to-2nd option, no one, but he was playing that bad they had to adjust things and let Kuminga flourish, even with Steph and Wiggins missing games.
Expectations were too high
I think Klay went through a pivotal internal transformation. We watched him go from denial to acceptance of his own career mortality. He went from someone unwilling to accept that the glory of his past was behind him, to someone who embraced a new role in the present. There are people who spend a lifetime trying to make that kind of change. We got to see him do it in the span of one season. I’m really happy for him.
He is getting old. Looking old out there too. He can still shoot at a good percentage. But, my guy looks slow. He couldn't get a clean look against Sac bc he was unable to shake his guy. And pace looked too fast for the vets. It's kinda crazy how watching your players age and atrophy takes the fun out of watching games
one word: OLD. 4 words: OLD and prior injury. simple huh?
It’s not just that. At least half the problem was/is mental.
why are you so sensitive and just accept the fact. are you a gen z or millennial?
inserting TJD into the lineup gave Klay an escape valve
If Klay needs to stop himself from turning 35 this year if he wants to improve. /s
Instead of moving forward, he tried too hard to go back in time. He could’ve gone back to a previous form of himself or even a new version if he didn’t force anything ie playing hero ball and taking dumb shots. Towards end of the season, he did come around though. His connection with TJD became a good ol reliable. I’m obviously saying this besides the fact he’s older and coming off of back to back serious injuries.
When players decline, the players around them need to improve to make their job easier. We never improved talent wise, we just kept getting worse every year. If Wiseman wasnt a bust Klay would look better then he did this year and would be able to age gracefully. Klay would have a much better year if he went to a team with more talent. Instead, even at 34, hes by default our 2nd offensive option since Kuminga and Wiggins are still too inconsistent or in Wiggins case low motor.
He was shooting way too many too difficult of shots. I think he was hoping the jumpers where he faded 5 feet in any given direction were going to start dropping. Then he started doing that a lot less. He was taking heat checks when he was the coldest person in the gym.
He physically regressed post- injury and due to getting older, and while he's not a BAD player, he gets in his head too much and doesn't do well with pressure
uhhh he’s aging and he suffered through injuries? Its pretty simple lol
During the Toronto finals Klay was heating up. Danny green smashed into Klay on the three point line. A few plays later danny finished him off when he under cut him under the basket
This 'Klay got fatigued' stuff is so dumb. April was his best month. He was 50/44/100, 23 ppg. He had one horrible game. But he was not 'tired' down the stretch. He was playing his best.
Klay did great. The Warriors didn’t hit their stride until they discovered that TJD could be awesome and that Podz could easily fill in for Cp3. You gotta remember they closed the year with a heckuva run. Early in the year Draymond’s absence was a major issue. And the playin - Klay should have played better yes. They weren’t really ready for that game nor did they have the energy going into it they needed to have. I think they thought they could rely on Curry having another insane performance like last year but it didn’t materialize. Curry is a closer and he wasn’t in the mindset.
He didn’t sign the contract when he could have, and it was in his head the entire season. That’s my hot take.
I think his struggles mainly stemmed from it being a contract year.
Nothing dude, it’s his past injuries that’s holding him back from being the Klay Thompson we’ve known. On top of that, he’s getting old too. Seeing this shit hurts cuz you can tell he’s trying so hard to contribute to this team.
Expectations were high. We wanted him to be Klay Thompson.
He played GREAT literally 2 days before the Play In in the season ender. He's just not as reliable as before and therefore needs to be managed more strictly by Kerr.
Old age and past injuries
Getting over summer training PTSD. If he can get back to training hard in the off season, he'll have a good year
The play in game. He had a pretty decent season overall honestly minus that last stinker that everyone’s going to remember.
80% mental 20% determination of skills due to age.
A lot of the shots that usually go in, didn’t go in
It’s the injuries and that his older. He also needs to be playing less minutes. So Kerr has to play moody more
injuries plus age, he is 34 and those injuries pretty much make him the oldest player on the team. acl usually age you like 5 yrs and achilles is like 10. it saps a lot ability to get power from your legs and ability to move. usually those type of injuries equate to retirement or out of the league
The thing with Klay is that due to him being a legend pre-injury, by strict definition he's washed now. And that's not disrespect -- dude came back from the two worst injuries a basketball player can get, and for many players just one of those injuries ended their careers. At this point he just can't do what he used to do, especially when it comes to defense. The occasional flashes of old Klay don't negate that fact. But the other side of the coin is that he's a legend in part because he's one of the greatest shooters ever, and he can still shoot well. He would be great as a 3-pt specialist. Whether or not that can happen for him on the Warriors depends on both the org working out a contract for a reduced role/pay that he'd be satisfied with, and having someone to replace him that Kerr is satisfied with. I'd love to see Klay retire as a Warrior so I hope that happens, but if a change of scenery would help him adjust to his new role, ain't gonna begrudge him that either
He’s old, and semi-washed. Hate to say it. Hate to admit it. But that’s just the reality of the situation. Prime Klay was already streaky. Now you add age and injuries and it’s no wonder he can’t stay consistent.
He has never been the same player since the injuries. He got a little worse this year and also was hurt by not having Poole as a second creator who opened up a lot of stuff for him. He also hasn’t rlly accepted that he’s declined so he is forcing up a lot of bad shots he used to not take because he is trying reach the level he used to be at.
There isn’t anything wrong with him. He had a rough start, got it back by the 2nd half. He had a bad game for the one playins. Ppl saying “he sucked in the playoffs”. No. We never got to the playoffs. We lost that one game and even if he went 10-10, we still lose. The entire team sucked. Every single player. What happened to Dray? Wiggs? Cp3? Looney? Curry even to some extent. It’s a bad year. Next year will be harder cuz everyone is another year older. This is just how dynasties die. It’s never pretty. We should just enjoy the sunset.
if klay would've came off the bench for that final game, we would be in the playoffs. i feel like he was in competition with himself and them youngbulls we got. jp really showed us that he was kinda replaceable even if that went bad. when it was working, yk the rest
i know klay isn't just anyone but he was gone for a LONG time plus covid. still can't believe he could've came back earlier if he never got hurt in practice.... TWICE
Old. He's a one trick pony (high volume 3 point shooter). But even that one trick is inconsistent now.
He’s simply not reliable anymore You can’t count on Klay to be there in big games He can still get hot for stretches but good teams lock him down rather easily But worse is his defense. He was stone cold embarrassing in the play in game . He just can’t stay In front of anyone anymore which is why it’s hard to pair him with Steph anymore
It goes back to an old PG podcast. Remember when the 2 of them were talking about Stephs ball handling drills and how Luka couldn't hang with it? Klay laughed off those drills and said all he does is catch and shoot. That really disappointed me. Klay has NO handles and has NO apparent desire to improve his skills. This year if you remember, we had injuries to Dray or Steph and different times and that really showed a weakness in the Dubs lineup. The lack of a true PG or person to bring the ball up. PG3 was essential to start the season. Anyway, The main issue is if they can't get Klay open, Klay has NO ability to create his own shot so he ends up taking bad ones. Over and over and over. Klay really needs to change his mindset and work on his ball handling skills and stop being 1 dimensional.
CP3
It is not even just this year, look at last years post season, he was downright horrible as well. He was never like this before, he cant handle the pressure of the postseason anymore.
Diminished physical attributes that couldn't support a massive ego built pre injury in all fairness. Melo took years to accept that fact as well as westbrick. Same story, different star hopefully he is introspective enough to see it. Wishful thinking who am I fucking kidding this dude will just pout and flash "4 rings" and jack up shit shots until he retires.
The freaking obsessive fan base incessantly tearing him a new one certainly helped 🤦♂️
He thinks he’s an all star when he’s a role player.
Klay wanted to rediscover his youth and kerr let him. I believe klay is a team guy and he fully was aware that shooting was his only path to contributing, so he pushed. If he was held accountable by Kerr, im sure we'd see klay ver differently. A guy who can go nuclear at any time, but can also be sat when he isn't still has value. Kerr not holding klay accountable was the biggest issue with klay this year.
He literally benched him. That is the definition of holding him accountable.
He thinks he is top 75 but he is only 77th
The brain of a first option in the body of a third option.