Klay Thompson

Warriors Notes: Green, Thompson, Porter, Iguodala

March 28th, 2022 at 10:58pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Warriors are trying to survive the remainder of the regular season without Stephen Curry, due to his foot injury. They were also without three other key players during their lopsided loss in Memphis tonight. Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Otto Porter Jr. sat out the game, as Kendra Andrews on ESPN tweets.

On the flip side, Andre Iguodala played for the first time since February 7 after recovering from a back injury. Iguodala wound up playing 16 minutes.

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In terms of Iguodala, he told Anthony Slater of The Athletic he needs to “crank it up.” Knee and hip issues have also sidelined him prior to the back pain. “It’s like cancer spreading out to different areas,” he said. “Small things. Nerve damage here. Bulging disc there. The pieces never really quite come together. One area will feel really good and then another area (hurts) the next day and you’re starting over with your rehab. It’s frustrating.”
When Green returns to action, he’s determined to make a bigger impact. In seven games since he recovered from a back injury, Green has a minus-41 plus-minus rating, Andrews notes. “I’ve just got to grind my way out of it,” Green said. “Make plays and impact the game. That’s why I feel like I’ve been terrible. I don’t feel like my impact has been on the game when it needs to be and normally is. I’ve just got to work my way out of it. Chip away at it every time I step on the court.”
Unless Green turns things around, the Warriors are doomed to a have short postseason run, Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area opines. Green is one of the few players in the league capable of turning a game, or part of a season, in his team’s favor due to his defensive prowess.

Warriors Notes: Thompson, Iguodala, Kuminga, Kerr

March 27th, 2022 at 10:06pm CST by JD Shaw

Warriors star Klay Thompson logged 40 minutes in the team’s game against the Hawks on Friday, a major accomplishment since recovering from a torn ACL and torn Achilles’ tendon. The 32-year-old finished with 37 points, seven rebounds and three assists in the loss, shooting 9-of-16 from deep.

“That’s a big win for me,” Thompson said on recording 40 minutes, as relayed by Kendra Andrews of ESPN.com. “I can’t remember the last time I played 40 minutes … a huge milestone for me.”

Head coach Steve Kerr also complimented Thompson after the contest, calling it his best outing since returning. Thompson’s previous season-high in minutes was 38 against San Antonio one week ago, while is next highest was just under 34 against Milwaukee on March 12.

“Rick (Celebrini) may not be (comfortable with it),” Kerr said, referring to the team’s director of sports medicine and performance (as shared by Anthony Slater of The Athletic). “I may have a text on my phone. But I thought it was Klay’s best game.”

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Kerr is hopeful that Andre Iguodala will return against the Grizzlies on Monday, Slater shares in a separate tweet. Iguodala has been dealing with a back injury and last played on February 7. He’s appeared in 26 games this season, averaging 4.1 points and 3.8 assists in 19.9 minutes per contest.
Golden State started Jonathan Kuminga in place of Kevon Looney on Friday, as noted by Slater (Twitter link). This allowed Draymond Green to play center, pairing Looney with Otto Porter Jr. off the bench. The team used the same starting lineup for its game against the Wizards on Sunday.
Kerr explained his rationale behind the lineup adjustment, noting how it’s important to settle on a lineup before the playoffs come. “We’re going to have a ton of flexibility these last eight games,” he said as part of a full quote, according to Andrews (Twitter link). “Without Steph, everything changes for us in terms of the domino effect of different rotations. I decided to separate Draymond and Loon for more spacing and more shooting on the floor at the same time.” Stephen Curry remains out due to a sprained ligament in his foot and is expected to return before the postseason.

Warriors Notes: Thompson, Poole, Lineups, Wiseman

March 13th, 2022 at 8:58am CST by Arthur Hill

After two weeks of struggling with his shot, Klay Thompson unleashed the type of game the Warriors will need to make a long playoff run, writes Kendra Andrews of ESPN. Thompson scored 38 points on Saturday night, his highest total since returning from a long injury absence, with eight three-pointers, six rebounds and five assists in a win over Milwaukee.

“Everybody makes a big deal about my shooting, man,” said Thompson, who connected on 15 of his 24 shots from the field. “I mean, I’m not happy with how I was shooting but I know these nights are within me. I just know. I’ve done too many great things that players haven’t done before to doubt myself.”

However, there were some outside doubters as questions started to emerge about Thompson’s effectiveness after missing more than two full seasons with two serious injuries. He was mired in a slump after the All-Star break, shooting just 34% from the floor and 23.3% from beyond the arc over his last four games. He has also been in and out of the lineup, missing two games because of illness and two others while being rested in back-to-backs.

“He’s so hard on himself and wants so badly to succeed,” coach Steve Kerr said. “I thought he just let the game come to him early. He didn’t hunt shots. Over the past few games, he’s been taking tough ones early, which has kept him from getting into a rhythm. Tonight, it felt like he was taking better shots early. … You know Klay, once a couple go in, the tougher ones get a lot easier for him.”

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Kerr tried a different starting lineup Saturday, using reserve guard Jordan Poole along with Thompson and Stephen Curry, notes Anthony Slater of The Athletic. The change was partially dictated by the matchup — Kerr wanted another play-maker on the court with Jrue Holiday guarding Curry — but the trio has been especially productive, posting a plus-97 in the 104 minutes they’ve played together.
Kerr only used eight players against the Bucks, but he will soon have a lot more options, Slater adds. Draymond Green is expected to return Monday, along with Otto Porter, and Andre Iguodala and Gary Payton II are both on the way back. “What’s becoming apparent to me, this year, is that we could have a different starting lineup from game to game in the playoffs, series to series,” Kerr said. “This is not the Warriors from five years ago when you knew exactly what was coming. We got a lot of really good pieces, but we have some new ones, some unproven ones. We have to be able to adjust quickly on the fly if things aren’t going well.”
Kerr was “thrilled” about James Wiseman‘s performance in his first G League game and said he should be ready for NBA action “soon,” according to Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area. Wiseman will play for Santa Cruz again today, and Kerr and a few players plan to attend.

Warriors Notes: Wiseman, Poole, Wiggins, Thompson

March 11th, 2022 at 4:03pm CST by Luke Adams

Warriors center James Wiseman returned to the court on Thursday for the first time in 11 months, playing for the Santa Cruz Warriors in the G League after recovering from a pair of procedures on his knee. As Anthony Slater of The Athletic writes, Wiseman had to shake off some rust, but had a productive outing, scoring 18 points and grabbing six rebounds in just 21 minutes.

According to Slater, the plan is for Wiseman to review film of the game on Friday, practice with Santa Cruz on Saturday, and play in another G League contest on Sunday. After that, Golden State will determine whether or not he’s ready to make his NBA return.

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Jordan Poole‘s dagger three-pointers in the final minute of the Warriors’ Thursday win over Denver was the latest example of the 22-year-old’s ability to rise to big moments, according to Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic, who says Poole’s regular season performance bodes well for his odds of playing an important role in the team’s playoff run.
Conversely, Andrew Wiggins‘ game has taken a “taken a precipitous decline” as of late, writes Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. Wiggins has made just 34.6% of his free throw attempts since January, prompting Poole to wonder whether the All-Star forward can still be a regular part of crunch-time lineups this spring if he doesn’t turn things around soon.
Klay Thompson‘s shooting numbers this season – including 34.5% from the floor and 28.8% on threes in his last seven games – remain well below his career rates. But head coach Steve Kerr isn’t worried about the veteran sharpshooter, who is still working his way back into top form following a two-and-a-half year absence due to ACL and Achilles tears. “The only thing that I’m stressing with Klay right now is to just get great shots,” Kerr said on Thursday, per Josh Schrock of NBC Sports Bay Area. “If he’s not open, to move it on. I think we’ve really tried to give Klay a lot of freedom in his comeback, just to be able to feel the game. Not to harp on mistakes and that sort of thing. But the bottom line is we are at our best when the ball moves, and we’re getting good shots.”

Warriors Notes: Curry, Thompson, Veterans, Make-Up Game

March 6th, 2022 at 8:56am CST by Arthur Hill

The season is unraveling for the Warriors at a really bad time, writes Kendra Andrews of ESPN. Golden State fell to the Lakers Saturday night, extending its losing streak to four games for the first time this season. The team has fallen into third place in the Western Conference after going 2-8 in its last 10 games, and Stephen Curry understands that something needs to change.

“We cannot give in to this losing mentality,” he said. “We’re not that team, and I’m not going to let us be that team. … We cannot give in to this losing spirit of just finding different ways to lose basketball games. We have 18 games left, we have to figure out how to turn things around pretty quick.”

The Warriors are dealing with a variety of issue, with the most notable being the absence of Draymond Green, who hasn’t played since January 9 but hopes to be back in “a couple weeks.” However, the problems go beyond Green, Andrews adds, as Golden State has been struggling with missed free throws, a drop in bench production and executing late in games, which coach Steve Kerr blamed for Saturday’s loss.

“I thought we had several chances to really break this game open,” Kerr said. “This has kind of been a pattern during this bad spell for us. We are not stepping on teams when they are down. We are making mistakes and allowing teams to hang around. And when you do that in this league, you’re dead.”

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Another concern is a shooting slump by Klay Thompson, who is going through his worst stretch since returning from a long injury-related layoff, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Thompson was just 3-of-13 Saturday night, including an important miss on a wide open three in the final two minutes. “Klay’s pressing,” Kerr said. “He got into a pretty good groove over the month or so before the All-Star break, and I feel like the sickness, the illness that kept him out of a couple of games probably affected his conditioning and his timing. So, he struggled the last two games. He’ll get it back.”
The Warriors are getting quality minutes from their young players, but many of the veterans they signed during the offseason aren’t producing right now, Slater adds. Andre Iguodala has only played one six-minute stretch since January 20, Nemanja Bjelica is losing his spot in the rotation and Otto Porter Jr. hasn’t been the same since January ended.
Kerr expressed frustration over the league’s decision to schedule a make-up game Monday at Denver and said he won’t have Curry, Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and possibly a few other players make the trip, according to Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area. “We are not sending a lot of our players to Denver,” Kerr said. “The decision was pretty easy. Throwing that game (originally scheduled for December 30) into the schedule the way the league did after that game was postponed and then going back to Denver — three games in four nights, with two of those games being back and forth, we’re not gonna put our high-minutes guys at risk.”

Warriors Notes: Wiggins, Green, Thompson, Moody

March 2nd, 2022 at 5:11pm CST by Arthur Hill

When the Warriors were tearing through the league earlier this season, they benefited from a strong performance by Andrew Wiggins, who played well enough to a starting spot in the All-Star Game. But Golden State has slumped recently, dropping three of its last four games and barely holding off Memphis for second place in the West, and Wiggins’ downturn has been a huge reason why, writes Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area.

Injuries have affected the Warriors, who have been without Draymond Green for seven weeks and Andre Iguodala for three weeks. Klay Thompson sat out the past two games with an illness, leaving Stephen Curry surrounded by a collection of young talent and role players. The team needed Wiggins to fill the void, and he hasn’t been doing it, Poole observes.

Wiggins just completed his least productive month since his rookie season in 2014, Poole adds, and his first game of March wasn’t encouraging. After scoring eight early points Tuesday night, Wiggins spent much of the game “floating around” and “standing in space,” according to Poole, who states that it brings back memories of the underachiever reputation that Wiggins had when he played in Minnesota.

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The organization plans to have Green around his teammates more often as he works his way back into playing shape following a lower back injury, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Green has been doing most of his rehab work on his own, but players and coaches believe he raises the spirits of the team and demands accountability from others. Coach Steve Kerr says Green continues to “make strides” toward a return and recently competed in a 3-on-3 scrimmage, Slater tweets.
Thompson had a “raging headache” after last Thursday’s game and felt sick for several days, but he traveled to Dallas with the team and plans to play tomorrow night (video link from Slater).“I’m playing,” he told reporters. “I didn’t come all the way to Dallas to watch.”
Rookie guard Moses Moody made his sixth start of the season Tuesday, but he had to leave the game with a left eye contusion, the Warriors announced on Twitter. “He got poked in the eye,” Kerr said after the game, per Cody Taylor of Yahoo Sports. “I think he got elbowed by (Karl-Anthony) Towns on a drive. He went up to go vertical and he got elbowed in the eye and it is pretty bad. His eye is swollen shut.”

Pacific Notes: Thompson, Kings, LeBron, Rich Paul

February 27th, 2022 at 3:58pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Warriors wing Klay Thompson sourced input from a variety of his NBA colleagues across the league, past and present, while rehabilitating from back-to-back season-ending injuries, writes Mark Medina of NBA.com. Thompson tore his ACL during the 2019 NBA Finals, and subsequently tore his Achilles while ramping up for the 2020/21 season.

“So many people count you out when you go through an injury like this,” Hall-of-Famer Dominique Wilkins, who consulted with Thompson, told Medina. “You know your heart. You just got to stay focused, diligent and tough. You can get back from this.”

Wilkins suffered an Achilles tear while playing for the Hawks, but ultimately returned to his All-Star form afterwords.

Thompson also maintained a dialogue over text with former Warriors teammate Kevin Durant, now with the Nets. Durant tore his Achilles while with Golden State during the 2019 postseason.

“It’s inspiring to watch him and see him look the exact same way prior to the injury,” Thompson said in praising his teammate. “It’s a testament not only to his willpower but his skill level. He might lose a little quickness or a little bounce. But you’ll never lose the ability to put the ball in the hole.”

The 31-year-old five-time All-Star also spoke with Grant Hill and Rudy Gay about their own recoveries from major injuries. Thompson is averaging 17.1 PPG with a reduced minutes load this season as he continues to work his way back, hoping to reclaim his All-Star form come playoff time.

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Given that the perpetually rebuilding Kings cannot necessarily rely on big-ticket free agency additions as a small market franchise, Chris Binderman of the Sacramento Bee wonders if Sacramento could benefit from taking a page out of the Nuggets‘ playbook when it comes to adding and developing talent.
The 27-32 Lakers find themselves facing an uncertain future after going all-in on Russell Westbrook in a trade this summer. Although LeBron James appeared to voice his relative apathy about a long-term future in Los Angeles during the 2022 All-Star Weekend festivities, he has since expressed his commitment to the team. When Bill Oram of The Athletic openly hypothesized that James might not want to remain with the Lakers beyond the end of his current deal, James retorted in comments to the press. “Anytime Bill says anything about the Lakers it’s going to be negative,” James said. “So, I hope no one in the Lakers faithful listens to Bill Oram. I hope not. He hasn’t said one great thing about the Lakers in so long.” In a new piece for The Athletic, Oram opines that James himself was responsible for the latest rumblings.
Lakers owner Jeanie Buss, GM Rob Pelinka, and James’ longtime agent Rich Paul met this week to discuss everyone’s feelings surrounding their team-building strategy. Sam Amick of The Athletic provides more details on the group’s conversation.

Warriors Notes: Wiggins, Looney, Poole, Wiseman, Thompson

February 23rd, 2022 at 9:28am CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors already have the NBA’s most expensive roster, but their payroll may only continue to rise in the coming years, writes Connor Letourneau of The San Francisco Chronicle.

As Letourneau outlines, Kevon Looney will be an unrestricted free agent in 2022 and has earned a raise on his current $5.2MM salary; Jordan Poole will be extension-eligible this offseason; and Andrew Wiggins will be entering the final year of his contract in 2022/23.

This season, those three players are earning a combined $39MM, but if Golden State wants to hang onto them going forward, that cost will likely increase substantially beginning in ’23/24, when new deals for Wiggins and Poole would go into effect. Keith Smith of Spotrac estimates that Poole’s next contract could be worth in the neighborhood of $80MM over four years, Letourneau notes.

With all this in mind, Letourneau wonders if Wiggins could be the Warriors’ odd man out. The former No. 1 overall pick has thrived in Golden State, earning his first All-Star nod this season, but Letourneau is unconvinced that the organization would be prepared to give him another maximum-salary contract next year, pushing team salary over $200MM (not counting tax penalties) — especially if Jonathan Kuminga proves increasingly capable of eventually taking over Wiggins’ starting forward spot.

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Within that same Chronicle story, Letourneau suggests that Looney could be in line for a multiyear deal worth about $6MM annually this offseason, and says the Warriors will make an effort to extend Poole during the 2022 offseason.
Cyrus Saatsaz of Locked on Warriors (video link) states that his cohost Dieter Kurtenbach of The Bay Area News Group has heard from a source that James Wiseman will return to action for Golden State on March 1, which would be the team’s third game after the All-Star break. Wiseman has described himself as being in the late stages of his rehab process, so we could certainly see him soon, though it’s worth noting that Klay Thompson‘s return was initially projected to happen before Christmas, and he didn’t make his season debut until January 9. Like they did with Thompson, the Warriors will play it safe with Wiseman, making sure he doesn’t play until he’s 100%.
Speaking of Thompson, while he feels fully healthy, he’s still in the process of working his way back to his pre-injury form, as he tells Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “I had a good game, but I want to put together a string of games,” Thompson said after a 33-point performance against the Lakers earlier this month. “I want to be back to playing at an elite level when I was making All-NBA teams. I know that’s going to come. I’m ahead of schedule from where I thought I’d be. I’m very competitive. I want to shoot at a high percentage. I want to be as efficient as I was.” Thompson added that he also wants to continue improving on defense, where he feels as if he has about “80 to 85 percent” of his lateral quickness back.

Warriors Notes: K. Thompson, Kuminga, R. Lopez, Wiseman

February 13th, 2022 at 9:01am CST by Arthur Hill

After two-and-a-half years of rehab to overcome two serious injuries, Klay Thompson was back in a familiar role for the Warriors Saturday night, writes Kendra Andrews of ESPN. With a nationally televised game against the Lakers hanging in the balance, Thompson exploded for 16 points in the fourth quarter of a 117-115 victory. It was his highest-scoring quarter since 2018, and the 33-point effort marked his biggest scoring night since returning.

“After not feeling that feeling for a few years, don’t take a 30-ball lightly in this league,” Thompson said. “I know that is always in me, but these things happen naturally. I can’t — if I can play to do that every fourth quarter, I would. It’s not the game of ball. It’s the flow of the game. Great things happen with time.”

It was a vintage performance for Thompson, who is still on a minutes restriction, and it’s exactly what the Warriors will need heading into the playoffs. In addition to his offensive brilliance, Thompson was a difference maker on defense, holding Lakers shooters to 1-of-6 from the field as a primary defender.

“There were so many long days in this building,” he recalled, “so many long days doing those tedious things. That is something that I wasn’t used to prior due to my ability to play nightly. Now that I am able to do that, it inspires me to keep going. I am not satisfied. It felt really freaking good, though.”

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Rookie Jonathan Kuminga played against LeBron James for the first time Saturday night, and coach Steve Kerr said it’s important that he gets those type of experiences out of the way now, per Monte Poole 0f NBC Sports Bay Area. Kuminga has played at least 22 minutes in six straight games and appears to be part of the rotation heading toward the postseason. “Let’s put him on LeBron now, because he’s gonna have to guard LeBron and plenty of other guys in the playoffs who are really, really tough jobs, tough covers,” Kerr said. “We’re just trying to get him all the experience we can right now. He’s handling it beyond anything I could have expected, even a couple weeks ago. His rise this last month has just been brilliant.”
With only one healthy center on the roster, Robin Lopez could emerge as a potential target for the Warriors if he reaches a buyout agreement with the Magic, suggests Josh Schrock of NBC Sports Bay Area. Schrock sees Tristan Thompson, DeAndre Jordan and Paul Millsap as other possibilities, although he considers them less likely.
James Wiseman, who is still trying to return after knee surgery, went through a pre-game workout Saturday and has been involved in increased 3-on-3 contact drills over the past few days, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic.

Warriors Notes: Trade Deadline, Wiseman, Thompson, Iguodala

February 10th, 2022 at 1:19pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Warriors remain committed to their “two-timeline plan” and aren’t expected to make any sort of major move before today’s trade deadline, writes Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Golden State has young players such as James Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody who could help land an immediate difference maker such as Pacers center Myles Turner, Slater adds, but the Warriors aren’t willing to risk their future to improve their championship odds this season.

Stephen Curry said he hasn’t talked this week with general manager Bob Myers, which Slater states is notable because teams usually discuss deals with their star players before they occur. Draymond Green also hinted recently that the Warriors intend to stand pat.

“We have found a great mix of youth and experience,” Green said. “I don’t think — it’s not my role, my job — but I can’t see (big activity at the deadline) happening, and if it does, I’d be shocked.”

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Myers had his staff reach out to every other team this week to see if any smaller deals are available that might be beneficial, Slater adds. Golden State could be active on the buyout market and may look to unload one of its guaranteed salaries to create a roster opening and avoid any further luxury tax payments. The Warriors will listen to offers all the way to the deadline, according to Slater.
Wiseman took part in contact drills Tuesday for the first time since his meniscus injury last April, per Kendra Andrews of ESPN. The Warriors had originally hoped he would be ready for training camp. He participated in a pre-game workout Wednesday, Slater tweets, but the team hasn’t decided when to try him in a 5-on-5 setting.
Klay Thompson‘s minutes restriction was bumped up to 30 before Monday’s game at Oklahoma City, Andrews adds in a separate story. “That’s a huge milestone for myself, and hopefully I can build on it,” Thompson said. “I feel incredible. … I feel like I haven’t missed a beat only 12 games in.”
Andre Iguodala, who missed Wednesday’s game at Utah, will be held out of the second half of the team’s back-to-back set tonight vs. the Knicks due to lower back tightness, according to Slater (Twitter link).

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