The Warriors are aiming to have Klay Thompson back in the lineup for their Christmas Day game in Phoenix, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne said today during an appearance on The Jump (video link).
According to Shelburne, December 25 is a “conservative target” for Thompson, but the Warriors will exercise plenty of patience with a star player who hasn’t seen any NBA game action since June of 2019.
“He could come back a little bit before (December 25), but in terms of getting his conditioning right, they’re targeting the Christmas Day game against the Suns,” Shelburne said. “I know that sounds a little late to people, but he was injured on November 18, so this is 13 months from an Achilles injury.
“… If he does well and his conditioning is up and he feels like he wants to come back earlier, he will,” Shelburne continued. “… (But) you need time to build your conditioning back up when you miss two NBA seasons.”
Thompson suffered a torn ACL during Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals on June 13 and missed the entire 2019/20 season while recovering from that injury. Just when he appeared to be on the verge of returning to action last fall, he tore his Achilles tendon in November, resulting in another lost year.
Thompson, 31, is one of the Warriors’ most important two-way players, providing elite shooting and floor-spacing on offense while often handling some of the toughest assignments on defense. Having a fully healthy and effective version of Thompson back on the court will be crucial if Golden State hopes to contend for a title again in 2022, so it makes sense that the team would be careful not to rush him back for early-season games in October and November.
Until Thompson returns, the Warriors figure to lean more on free agent additions Otto Porter, Nemanja Bjelica, and Andre Iguodala to provide outside shooting and to defend wings and forwards.
Don’t rush it ……
Kuminga and Wiggins can start till he’s back. Wiggins playing the 2 can get his scoring up. Could make him more attractive to other teams. Klay will be stronger after all-star break.
Igudola my God the man is finished. Otto porter?bjelica? Who? Thompson coming off back to back major major leg injuries is a massive question mark and a very expensive one.
Thanks we will take note you hate the warriors and think they are a bad team. Its going to be fun watching you do a 180 when they win
With ? The same crew . Sorry to burst your bubble but this team is going nowhere. Thompson is two years removed from playing competitive basketball my friend, hang your Hope’s on him and your looking at 500 at best. And please don’t tell me Wiseman is your big man. Or those rookies will contribute or Wiggins will become that 3rd star, not happening.
You are just giving me more ammo when you show up here making excuses why the warriors are a top 3 team. keep it up.
@Ojdiddoit – just because YOU want them to be irrelevant doesnt mean its true – what narcissism you have there hahaha….
GSW is about to make 5 more finals whether you like it or not – are you prepared for that reality? You do not appear to be in a good position mentally to handle that, if you think a team with a current MVP and DPOY is not going to relevant next year. They are by far the best 1-15 in the game, period. This is facts. The sooner you accept them, the odds of you having a complete meltdown go way down. If Klay plays last year GSW finishes #1. So instead they do that this year – get ready!!!
They join the crowded field of 500 and sub 500 teams that litter the NBA, making them neither relevant or irrelevant. Curry putting up 35 a night and wiggins fluffed 20 gets you 500. Counting on a player on the wrong side of 30 coming off 2 years and 2 major leg injuries ,GULP my fingers tire as I could go on and on. Iggy I’m yawning. Wiseman I’m laughing. Does this roster stack with the bucks? Nets? Or 10 other teams I could name.
keep it up you are digging yourself a bigger grave. its going to taste so good when GSW hold up that championship trophy after all you critics are home making excuses for your team. It is going to taste wonderful!
You can’t deny this team is better than last year‘s team and even if Klay comes back at 80% he still a major upgrade. I think the Warriors lost 18 games last year by six points or less I figure even an 80% Klay can help them win 9 of those and that would have put them in third in the west based on last year records.
They will have no incentive to rush Klay back if the Warriors struggle early in the season. Christmas is by no means a “conservative target”, that’s just the media pandering to the fans. He will barely be 13 months removed from his injury at that point, that’s closer to being a best-case scenario (although they might say Thanksgiving, but that’s extremely unrealistic).
By the time the holidays begin they will continue blowing smoke and once X-mas has turned into New Year’s then they will say “it might take until the All-Star break” if the team is worse than 16-20 after losing to Utah.
Klay Thompson is a different dude. He’s not normal. He’s working his butt off to get ready. That’s fine you’re entitled to your opinion and I respect that you are able to voice it here. We’ll see what happens.
We are talking Thompson not AD or Leonard who always seem to take forever to be back.
yea, they take forever to get back, unlike Thompson who has taken since 2019 to get back.
Didn’t you hear? Thompson tore his ACL which takes one year, and then he tore his hamstring and that takes another year. When has Thompson taken the easy Road and skated his way back to work?
Quick question when has the entire league expected Klay Thompson to be back by now and he’s taken a few more months off? Your comment makes no sense.
Funny to see how many Warrior fans scramble to defend their team, which at the moment is a giant question mark. OJ made some fine points and y’all cannot accept the reality. Nobody is rooting against Klay and his comeback but let’s be real you guys probably had the dubs winning the west last season and they still missed the playoffs. OJ didn’t do it.
Slow NBA news day because Ramona said what any NBA fan said we can guess at the start back date. My guess is he starts more closer to the fist of December. He will start with minute restrictions the first 2 weeks back.
Only 2 weeks after missing two full seasons? He’ll have minutes restrictions until the end of the season once he returns. No back-to-backs for sure.
Missing just 21 games at the start of the season is a conservative prediction.
he is according to GSW ahead of schedule. Endurance will be his weakness but Kerr already have time limits on every player. He will not play back to back games unless its the end of the season.
It’s Klay Thompson. If you say “Christmas Day” he will be there Opening Night. Look at the last time he was on an NBA court, he came back with one leg to hit NBA Finals free throws, he’s a different breed, he’s not the same as those who think “conservatively”. Klay himself will probably be targeting Christmas Day to have his minutes restriction lifted – HAHA
Off-topic: none of these trade rumors sites are reporting it, but the most insane sports-related corporate takeover in history happened yesterday, with Fanatics strong-arming Topps, Panini and Upper Deck out of trading card rights for MLB, NBA and NFL, with an eye of sinking those companies value so they can buy them all – mind blowing.
Klay coming of 2 major injuries will never be the same. At this point he is simply living off his past achievements, as yall know, past results are a never a predictor of future success, buyer be warned.
He’ll still be a lethal shooter. He’ll always have that skill.
Hard to say, shooting ain’t just about aim… it takes speed to get to the spots & release before the hounds are on you, if he has lost that speed, then his aim ain’t gonna help him like at all…
Sad to say I think he will just be a shadow of himself, a sad shadow even, at least for the whole season…
Maybe improves a bit for the ’23 season, but then age will be seriously creeping in…
Speed and athleticism have nothing to do with shooting. Mark Price can attest to that and he wasn’t a 6’7 Guard.
@Knicks all the way is so shook his precious terrible Knicks are about to continue never having a chip, as GSW wins 5 straight rings as part of the extended dynasty. He already looks incredible in practice, like 2018….be afraid, be VERY afraid. GSW is #1 still whether you like it or not!
Curry says “take your medications”.
Good god he’s not
Going to play until Christmas? I know guys who had their leg amputated who came back quicker
Name one player in the NBA who just had a year-long injury and came back quicker than Klay Thompson?
Name one time when the entire league thought out loud, “WHY isn’t this guy playing because team doctors have approved him to play, the coach wants him to play, and he still not out there?” I guarantee that can NEVER be said about Klay Thompson.
Your game works with humor!