- Warriors guard Klay Thompson, who recently made his long-awaited season debut, is on a strict minutes limit of 20 per game right now, but he expects that to be bumped up “in a week or two,” writes Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Thompson has looked spry in his first two games back, averaging 15.5 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists in 20.0 minutes.
- Draymond Green is likely to miss at least three more games for the Warriors with calf soreness, Slater tweets. Head coach Steve Kerr said it’s “doubtful” that Green will join the team on its current road trip, which runs through Sunday in Minnesota.
Warriors owner Joe Lacob believes his team is poised to win more championships, as he told Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.
“Our goal is to be great throughout this decade,” he said. “We had a great last decade and our goal is to set ourselves up for another great decade.”
With the return of Klay Thompson on Sunday, Lacob is eager to see how deep the team can get in this year’s playoffs.
“We’ve got all the pieces back together and we’ve had a good offseason and we drafted some young guys that haven’t gotten a chance to play yet that we really like. So I feel like this is our first year of getting back after the five-year title run,” he said. “We’ll see where it goes. I’m not assuming anything at this point, but we certainly have a lot of talent, a really good team and I think it will jell even more so as we go along this year.”
We have more from the Pacific Division:
- Thompson had 17 points in his comeback game, including a first-half dunk. He drew energy from the crowd after missing 177 consecutive games, ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk writes. “I will never forget the reception that Warriors fans gave us, especially myself,” Thompson said. “Gosh it was fun and it was worth every single day of being away and in that squat rack or on that shuttle board and all the conditioning days. It was worth every single moment. I am not going to say equivalent to winning a championship But man, it was pretty freaking close.”
- The Lakers lost to Memphis on Sunday but there was one promising development, Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times notes. Anthony Davis was spotted on the court before the game going through an individual workout, the first time he’s done that since spraining a knee ligament on December 17. Davis wore a bulky brace on the knee for precautionary reasons. The Lakers are scheduled to provide an update on Davis’ recovery as early as this weekend, Woike adds.
- The disappointing Kings have to figure out over the next few weeks whether to be buyers or sellers on the trade market, Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee writes. It’s no secret that the front office has been shopping Buddy Hield and Marvin Bagley III. However, the team’s brass may have to consider moving De’Aaron Fox, Tyrese Haliburton, Harrison Barnes or Richaun Holmes to get an impact player that can change the franchise’s fortunes, Anderson adds.
The long process of rehabbing two serious injuries will finally end Sunday for Klay Thompson, and the Warriors guard is determined to prove that he’s as good as ever, writes Nick Friedell of ESPN. Thompson bought a boat and focused on helping his younger teammates during his extended break, but nothing took his mind off his desire to start playing again. He’s “hungrier” than ever to help Golden State make an impact in the playoffs after missing the last two postseasons.
“I know myself. I know how good I am,” Thompson said. “I know the things I’ve done. … It’s like — how many times do I have to do something that no one else has ever done before and get respect? Do I have to go score 50 in a quarter now? Like, what the hell? It’s whatever though, man. It’s over with. I’m going to use it as fuel.”
Thompson’s return to the court will be a monumental event for the franchise, coach Steve Kerr said at a press conference today, per Mark Medina of NBA.com. Kerr compared it to Michael Jordan‘s return to basketball in 1995 and expects it to be “one of the most emotional games that any of us would ever be a part of.”
“I have no doubt when Klay walks onto the floor for the first time, I will never forget that game,” Kerr said. “It will stand out as one of the highlights of my entire basketball existence just because of who Klay is and how much he has meant to our franchise and to the Bay area and to me personally and to his teammates. He’s everybody’s favorite guy and we’ve all seen him suffer for two-and-a-half years. It’ll be very emotional.”
There’s more on the Warriors:
- Golden State got a look at its future in Thursday’s game at New Orleans as injuries resulted in extended playing time for rookies Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody, notes Connor Letourneau of The San Francisco Chronicle. “I think they’re right on schedule,” Kerr said. “I think they’re both really working hard every single day, putting the work in, learning what it’s about to be an NBA player. … It’s not easy, especially for 19-year-old kids. They’re learning, and they’re doing a great job.”
- James Wiseman, who hasn’t played since having knee surgery last season, continues to make progress, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Kerr is hoping that during the next road trip, Wiseman can participate in 3-on-3 games or 1-on-1 drills against another center.
- Kerr sidestepped a question today about possibly bringing back DeMarcus Cousins, who was waived Thursday by the Bucks, according to Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area (Twitter link). Cousins played for Golden State in 2018/19.
Warriors guard Klay Thompson has confirmed rumors that he will return to the court for Sunday’s home game against the Cavaliers, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Thompson made the announcement on his Instagram account, along with a clip from the original “Space Jam” movie with Bill Murray saying, “Perhaps I could be of some assistance.” Thompson also wrote, “How I’m pulling up to chase tomorrow, Bill Murray is my spirit animal. IM SO EXCITED TO SEE YALL.”
It will be the first game action for Thompson since he suffered a torn ACL in the 2019 NBA Finals. He also tore his Achilles during the summer of 2020 and missed all of last season. Sunday will mark 941 days since Thompson’s last game, Charania notes.
Thompson has reportedly been ready to return for some time, but the organization was being careful to make sure he was fully 100%. He was also determined to make his season debut in front of Warriors fans, and Golden State played its last two games on the road.
A five-time All-Star, Thompson was part of the foundation of the Warriors teams that won three titles and appeared in five straight NBA Finals. In his last season before the injuries, he averaged 21.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game while shooting 46.7% from the field and 40.2% from three-point range.
Golden State, which has the league’s second-best record at 29-9, plans to insert Thompson back into the starting lineup right away, although he will be on a minutes restriction for a while.
Warriors swingman Damion Lee will have the rest of his 2021/22 salary guaranteed, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). The news doesn’t come as a surprise, as Lee has been with Golden State for four seasons and has been part of the regular rotation for three of those.
Lee, who will be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, will now have his $1,910,860 cap hit for ’21/22 locked in. The Warriors are also guaranteeing Gary Payton II’s rest-of-season salary, so the team won’t have create any new openings on its 15-man roster.
Here are more updates on players who are affected by today’s salary guarantee deadline:
- The Sixers will keep Paul Reed through the deadline, guaranteeing his salary, tweets Scotto. Reed, who is earning $1,517,981 in 2021/22, also has a non-guaranteed minimum salary for next season before he becomes eligible for restricted free agency in 2023. The 6’9″ forward has averaged 2.3 PPG and 2.4 RPG in 19 games (9.4 MPG) for Philadelphia in his second NBA season.
- Clippers center Isaiah Hartenstein will have his full-season salary guaranteed, per Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). Hartenstein, earning $1,729,217, was always one of the safer bets to survive the salary guarantee deadline, since he played a key role in L.A.’s frontcourt, putting up 7.7 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 1.9 APG, and 1.3 BPG in just 16.4 MPG (29 games).
- After recently signing a two-year contract with the Pacers, Keifer Sykes will have his rest-of-season salary guaranteed, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Sykes, who made a strong impression in the G League, is off to a strong start at the NBA level too, averaging 10.4 PPG and 3.6 APG in his first five games (26.8 MPG). Since he didn’t sign until December 27, Sykes’ prorated rookie-minimum salary is worth just $558,345.
- The Bulls will hang onto sharpshooter Matt Thomas, guaranteeing his minimum-salary contract for 2021/22, sources tell Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Thomas has only appeared in 13 games for Chicago and his three-point rate (34.6%) is well below his career rate (40.5%), but the team apparently values his ability to stretch the floor. He’ll make $1,669,178 this season before becoming eligible for restricted free agency. The Bulls will also have to make a decision today on Alfonzo McKinnie‘s non-guaranteed contract.
The Warriors are guaranteeing the remainder of Gary Payton II‘s $1.94MM salary this season, coach Steve Kerr told Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link) and other media members.
It’s no surprise Golden State will retain Payton. It was reported two weeks ago that it was likely the Warriors would keep him around.
Payton has been a regular part of the rotation, appearing in 36 games (seven starts) and averaging a career-best 7.9 PPG and 3.7 RPG in 16.9 MPG.
All players still under contract will have their salaries fully guaranteed for the rest of the 2021/22 season on Monday but the true deadline is tomorrow, since waivers must be requested. Damion Lee is the other Warrior without a fully guaranteed salary.
At 29-7, the Warriors have the best record in the NBA, a half-game ahead of the Suns. One key to the team’s success this season has been the maturation and development of third-year guard Jordan Poole, who’s being groomed to become Golden State’s new sixth man, as Anthony Slater and Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic detail.
Poole’s situation on the club is unique, in that he’s the only young player to have a consistent rotational role. He describes the dynamic as being akin to a middle-child.
“The dynamic is what you see,” Poole said. “I’m not the youngest. I’ve been around for a little bit, but I’m kind of like the only one in the middle of the pack. The older bros have been through it. Sometimes we’re gonna throw you with the young guys, sometimes you can come with us. Essentially, it’s the middle-child treatment.”
Slater and Thompson write that Poole is known for having an excellent work ethic; the Warriors have data showing he’s in the gym more than any player on the team. Veteran Andre Iguodala, the team’s former sixth man, has taken Poole under his wing. As a third-year former first-round pick (28th overall in the 2019 draft), Poole is eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer.
“The new sixth man is getting $20 million a year,” Iguodala said. “That’s the bottom offer for a guy like that, the Tyler Herros and Jordan Pooles. You got those few guys who are starters but for teams they are on, they’re sixth men. You don’t have a problem with going above and beyond taking care of them because you know they’ll be a staple player for your franchise.”
In 30 games (28 starts) this season, Poole is averaging 18.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists in 30.1 minutes per contest. He also sports a .454/.348/.887 shooting line, good for a 59.3 true shooting percentage.
Here’s more on the Warriors:
- ESPN’s Baxter Holmes wrote an in-depth story detailing how former No. 1 overall pick Andrew Wiggins has been a “perfect fit” with Golden State, examining many aspects of the forward and his role within the team.
- Head coach Steve Kerr says Klay Thompson will be on a minutes restriction when he makes his long-awaited return (possibly Sunday) and will probably rest one of the two games in back-to-back sets, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic (via Twitter).
- The Warriors have the NBA’s highest payroll, but a huge part of their success thus far is owed to the contributions of lesser-paid players, John Hollinger of The Athletic writes. Hollinger notes that Otto Porter Jr., Gary Payton II, Kevon Looney, Poole, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Nemanja Bjelica, Damion Lee, and Iguodala have all been impactful, and the eight players earn a combined $17.6MM — about the market value of a decent starter. Of the eight, only Poole is under contract through next season — the other seven will be free agents this summer (JTA is restricted, the rest are unrestricted).
- The Warriors hope that second-year center James Wiseman, who participated in the team’s shootaround on Monday, can begin contact drills next week, says Ali Thanawalla of NBC Sports Bay Area. Wiseman has exited the health and safety protocols, but continues to work his way back from the knee surgery that ended his rookie season.
The NBA has announced the rescheduling of the 11 games postponed in December due to COVID-19 issues, listing the changes in a press release.
Additionally, eight other scheduled games have been shifted to accommodate the postponements. A pair of others have been shifted to new starting times.
Most notably, Kyle Lowry‘s return to Toronto will take place two days earlier than anticipated, as Tim Bontemps of ESPN points out.
The Raptors will now host the Bulls on February 3 instead of the Heat. Lowry’s return will occur on Feb. 1 in Miami’s rescheduled visit. The game that Toronto was originally scheduled to play that day against the Hawks will now be played on January 31.
The first two makeups will occur next week — the Nets at the Trail Blazers on Monday, January 10 and the Pistons at the Bulls on Tues, Jan. 11.
“There’s no easy way to do this,” Nets coach Steve Nash said to Bontemps and other media members. “If we were expecting it to be a sweet little add to the schedule, and no blood drawn, that would be foolish.”
The other rescheduled dates are as follows:
- New Orleans Pelicans at Philadelphia 76ers
- Previous: Dec. 19
- New: Jan. 25
- Denver Nuggets at Brooklyn Nets
- Previous: Dec. 19
- New: Jan. 26
- Toronto Raptors at Chicago Bulls
- Previous: Dec. 22
- New: Jan. 26
- Chicago Bulls at Toronto Raptors
- Previous: Dec. 16
- New: Feb. 3
- Miami Heat at San Antonio Spurs
- Previous: Dec. 29
- New: Feb. 3
- Washington Wizards at Brooklyn Nets
- Previous: Dec. 21
- New: Feb. 17
- Orlando Magic at Toronto Raptors
- Previous: Dec. 20
- New: March 4
- Golden State Warriors at Denver Nuggets
- Previous: Dec. 30
- New: March 7
- Cleveland Cavaliers at Atlanta Hawks
- Previous: Dec. 19
- New: March 31
There’s optimism that Klay Thompson will be able to return from his 30-month absence this coming Sunday when the Warriors host the Cavaliers, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
Thompson, who missed the entire 2019/20 season due to a torn ACL and then spent the duration of the ’20/21 campaign recovering from a torn Achilles, has been practicing with the team for several weeks and appears on the verge of making his season debut.
The Warriors and Thompson have been eyeing a home game for Klay’s return. After Golden State hosts Miami on Monday, the club will embark on a two-game trip to Dallas on Wednesday and New Orleans on Thursday before returning to the Bay Area for Sunday’s contest. A decision on Thompson’s potential availability for Sunday is expected to come when the team returns from its brief road trip on Friday, says Wojnarowski.
With an NBA-best 28-7 record, the Warriors have been just fine without Thompson so far this season. However, if Golden State gets anything close to the All-Star version of the 31-year-old back, it would be a huge boon to the team’s title hopes. Before his injuries, Thompson was one of the league’s best outside shooters and was one of the Dubs’ best defenders.