Klay Thompson Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pacific Notes: LeBron, Barnes, Holmes, Klay, Bridges

November 27th, 2021 at 2:31pm CST by JD Shaw

The Lakers are still contemplating how often to use LeBron James at center this season, Harrison Faigen of SB Nation’s Silver Screen and Roll writes. Los Angeles has seen success with James at the five, albeit in a small sample size, but the team doesn’t want to overextend its 36-year-old superstar.

“It’s something we talk about,” head coach Frank Vogel said. “It’s something we consider. But you have to measure what that does for his workload… and whether that’s something that we just want to use in small doses when needed, or if it’s going to become part of us on a regular basis.”

James has played positions 1-through-4 at different points of his career. Having the ability to also play the five is unprecedented, but it’s something he may need to do when Anthony Davis sits this season. Having lost to the Kings on Saturday, the Lakers dropped to seventh in the Western Conference (10-11).

Here are some other notes from the Pacific:

Kings forward Harrison Barnes and center Richaun Holmes both missed Saturday’s game, but interim coach Alvin Gentry is confident the duo won’t be sidelined for long, James Ham of ESPN 1320 tweets. Barnes is day-to-day with a sprained right foot, while Holmes is dealing with a non-COVID-related illness.
Klay Thompson had a vulnerable moment after the Warriors‘ victory over Portland on Friday, Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic writes. Thompson was seen sitting on the bench once the game ended for 35 minutes, clearly wanting to be part of the team’s success. He last played in an NBA game during the 2019 Finals, but he appears to be moving closer toward a return. He suffered torn ACL in 2019 and tore his Achilles in 2020 during a pick-up game.
Suns forward Mikal Bridges is making an early case for Defensive Player of the Year, Evan Sidery of BasketballNews.com opines. Bridges has provided a serious defensive boost for Phoenix, who ranks second in the Western Conference at 16-3. The team has also won 15 straight games.

Warriors Notes: Wiseman, Klay, Iguodala, Atkinson, Defense

November 23rd, 2021 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Warriors center James Wiseman still hasn’t been fully cleared to participate in scrimmages and it remains unclear when that will happen, head coach Steve Kerr said today (Twitter link via Nick Friedell of ESPN).

Although Wiseman’s recovery from meniscus surgery is moving a little slowly, there’s nothing wrong structurally with his knee, according to Kerr, who told reporters that the club simply wants to be patient with the former No. 2 overall pick. Golden State has a league-best 15-2 record without Wiseman available, so there’s certainly no rush to get him back.

Here are a few more Warriors-related notes:

Kerr confirmed on Tuesday that Klay Thompson was able to do everything at practice today and the team is just focused now on building up his strength and endurance. December 20 and 23 have been cited as possible target dates for Thompson’s return, but Kerr said that the team isn’t circling any specific games and will make the decision based on what Klay and the training staff think (Twitter links via Friedell).
Thompson said today that his scrimmages so far have featured four-minute quarters — he plans to eventually ramp up to 12-minute quarters in the coming weeks, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Andre Iguodala, who has missed the Warriors’ last three games with a right knee ailment, didn’t practice today and has been ruled out of Wednesday’s game vs. Philadelphia. However, the swelling in Iguodala’s knee has gone down and he should resume on-court work within the next few days, Kerr told reporters, including Slater (Twitter link).
Assistant coach Kenny Atkinson, who has been away from the team recovering from a leg injury, was able to attend the Warriors’ coaching meeting this morning for the first time in a while (Twitter link via Slater). He’s still not ready to rejoin the club in the building or on the sidelines.
The Warriors’ success this season has been spearheaded by a defense that leads the NBA in defensive rating by two full points (100.0, compared to the Clippers’ 102.0). In a story for The Athletic, Slater takes a look at how increased accountability from Golden State’s youngsters, veterans, and coaches has contributed to the club’s strong play on that side of the ball.

Pacific Notes: Green, Thompson, Fox, Walton, James

November 22nd, 2021 at 9:52pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Draymond Green is playing with renewed vigor and the Warriors forward is aiming for another Defensive Player of the Year award, ESPN’s Nick Friedell writes. “Most importantly, I want to win, I want to be a Defensive Player of the Year again, and I want to be an All-Star again,” Green said. “And that is motivating me because a lot of people had counted me out. Same mistake people made before when I first came into the league — but a lot of people doubted me, and doubted me again. And that’s fuel to the fire.” Green won the DPOY award in 2017.

We have more from the Pacific Division:

Warriors coach Steve Kerr reacted with feigned surprise regarding a report that Klay Thompson had received full medical clearance to practice. “I don’t know where that came from,” Kerr said, according to a tweet from Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. However, Kerr didn’t deny the report, Poole added in another tweet. The Athletic’s Anthony Slater said Kerr was trying to protect Thompson from media attention. If Thompson doesn’t participate in all team portions of practice, he could theoretically skip any required media requirements, which is Klay’s preference.
De’Aaron Fox said it was a bit of a shock that Luke Walton was fired at this stage of the season, according to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. However, he added that the Kings have to put that behind them quickly. “You’ve just got to keep on pushing,” Fox said. “Obviously, you have some guys who have been through it in the middle of a season before, but you can’t go into the game worried about what happened. We’ve still got games to play.”
LeBron James‘ one-game suspension will result in some cost savings for the Lakers, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets. While James will lose a game check of $284K, the Lakers will receive a $142K credit toward the luxury tax that projects to save them $532.5K.

Klay Thompson Receives Full Medical Clearance For Practice

November 21st, 2021 at 11:40am CST by Arthur Hill

Klay Thompson has been cleared to fully participate in Warriors‘ practices and is moving toward a return the week before Christmas, according to Shams Charania and Anthony Slater of The Athletic.

Thompson spent the past week participating in five-on-five scrimmages while the team was on a road trip, and sources tell the authors that he looked good. The scrimmages involved free agent players such as Dante Exum as well as Thompson’s older brother, Mychel.

Thompson hasn’t played since injuring his left ACL during the 2019 NBA Finals, which was nearly 900 days ago. He was prepared to return last season, but suffered a right Achilles tear during a workout. He has fully recovered from both injuries and is now working his way back into game shape.

The Warriors plan to use the next month as a “training camp” experience for Thompson, according to Charania and Slater. Intensity will be heightened throughout the scrimmages to help get him ready for game action.

Over the past month, Thompson has been participating in two-on-two and three-on-three drills with an increased willingness to perform in front of cameras. People who have watched him play say he’s shooting the ball as well as ever and has retained most of the physical aspects of his game, although he has been getting tired quickly.

The Warriors plan to have him make his season debut in a home game, which Charania and Slater note provides a few easy target dates. It appears he will play either December 20 against Sacramento or December 23 against Memphis, ahead of a nationally televised game Christmas Day in Phoenix. If Thompson isn’t ready by then, Golden State has a December 28 home game against Denver.

Klay Thompson Participated In First Post-Injury 5-On-5 Practice

November 16th, 2021 at 9:00pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Ahead of tonight’s marquee contest against the Nets, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told Allie LaForce of TNT (Twitter video link) that long-injured shooting guard Klay Thompson partook in his first five-on-five practice since tearing his Achilles last year.

Thompson had already participated in several three-on-three practices at this point, according to LaForce, who noted that five-on-five workouts marked the “next step” for Thompson’s recuperation. A Christmas Day return for Thompson has long been targeted. Without him, the Warriors are a league-leading 12-2, thanks in large part to the MVP caliber play of Thompson’s backcourt mate Stephen Curry.

It’s been a rough two years for Thompson. The former five-time All-Star and three-time champion first missed the entire 2019/20 NBA season due to a torn ACL, then tore his Achilles before the 2021/22 season.

LaForce added that injured Golden State center James Wiseman, meanwhile, has yet to participate in five-on-five workouts with the club. Wiseman suffered a season-ending right meniscus tear last season. He was cleared to begin practicing with the club earlier this month. LaForce cautioned that this isn’t necessarily an indicator that Wiseman would return to the floor for Golden State after Thompson. Wiseman was drafted with the second pick out of Memphis last year.

Warriors Notes: Kuminga, Thompson, Curry, Green

November 13th, 2021 at 6:30pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jonathan Kuminga was on the court for 16 minutes Friday night and it could be the start of expanded playing time for the Warriors‘ rookie forward, according to Alex Shultz of SFGate. Kuminga made the most of his opportunity, scoring eight points and playing strong defense on the Bulls’ DeMar DeRozan.

It was only the sixth game of the season for the No. 7 overall pick, whose progress was slowed by a strained patella in the preseason and later spent time in the G League. Head coach Steve Kerr indicated that Kuminga made “huge strides” in practice recently and Friday’s extra playing time was a reward for that effort.

“As long as he goes out there and runs the floor, plays defense, takes care of the ball and passes like he did tonight, we’re going to continue to give him opportunities,” Kerr said.

There’s more on the Warriors:

Klay Thompson continues to make “steady progress” in his recovery from Achilles surgery and could be ready to play in five to six weeks, tweets basketball writer Jordan Schultz. Sources tell Schultz that Thompson is in “great shape” and is close to being cleared for five-on-five play. That lines up with a report earlier this week that Thompson could return prior to his target date of Christmas Day.
Grizzlies guard Ja Morant enjoys watching the on-court relationship between Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, writes Alex Didion of NBC Sports Bay Area. As Golden State was pulling away from Chicago Friday night, Morant tweeted “chemistry crazy” after Green set up Curry for an open three-pointer.
In a mailbag column, ESPN’s Kevin Pelton addresses whether Kuminga, fellow rookie Moses Moody and second-year center James Wiseman can reach their potential on a title contending team where playing time is likely to be scarce. Pelton theorizes that players can improve enough through individual workouts and regular minutes in the G League that NBA playing time isn’t a vital part of the process.

Warriors Notes: Thompson, Green, Wiggins, Wiseman

November 11th, 2021 at 9:38am CST by Luke Adams

Warriors sharpshooter Klay Thompson has made “really good progress” in his recovery from Achilles surgery, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (video link), who said during an NBA Countdown appearance that Thompson could even be a little ahead of his previously-reported timeline.

“I’m told if he continues on his current course in rehab that a target date for his return will be set probably within the next couple weeks and there’s optimism it could be as soon as December 20th, December 23rd,” Wojnarowski said, noting that the Warriors have home games on those dates. Christmas Day was previously identified as a potential target date.

“The plan for Klay Thompson is to continue to ramp up,” Woj continued. “The Warriors will go on a road trip in mid-December, and at that point, if Klay continues on this track, he’d go down and play with the Warriors’ G League team. And the idea is – and the hope is – they’ll have him back perhaps prior to Christmas.”

Thompson has missed two full seasons due to ACL and Achilles tears and the Warriors are off to an NBA-best 10-1 start in his absence, so there’s no pressure to rush him back before he’s 100%. On ESPN’s NBA today earlier this week, Brian Windhorst (video link) suggested Thompson’s getting close to that level.

“The whispers going on around the league right now about Klay Thompson, people are watching him, people are talking to people in the Warriors’ organization, and they say he looks good,” Windhorst said. “Now I’m not saying he’s coming back and he’s going to be (scoring) 40 points in his first quarter. But he looks good working out and there’s a real confidence that – especially by the end of the season – Klay’s going to be BACK back.”

Here’s more on the Warriors:

Draymond Green left Wednesday’s win over Minnesota in the third quarter due to a right thigh contusion, as Nick Friedell of ESPN writes. Head coach Steve Kerr called it a “pretty nasty” contusion and said Green would be questionable to play on Friday, but added that Green’s knee didn’t appear to be affected at all. “When he came off the floor he said it was a bad thigh, muscle bruise,” Kerr said. “Like he just got kneed in the thigh, but it was close to the knee. But I have no reason to believe it has anything to do with a joint contusion from what I understand.”
Andrew Wiggins said on Wednesday that the Timberwolves have turned over their roster so much since his time in Minnesota that it’s “basically like facing a whole new team” when he faces his former club, per Rusty Simmons of The San Francisco Chronicle. Wiggins also remains appreciative of the trade that sent him to Golden State. “Something had to be done, just the way everything was going,” he said. “The way things were, we knew changes were coming eventually. I feel like it worked out for both teams.”
Kerr provided a minor update on James Wiseman on Wednesday, hinting that the second-year center could begin scrimmaging next week with Santa Cruz, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic (video link). Wiseman continues to make his way back from knee surgery.

Warriors Rumors: Kuminga, Moody, Curry, Green, Klay, Iguodala

November 3rd, 2021 at 8:25am CST by Luke Adams

Warriors owner Joe Lacob is high on the team’s young prospects, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic, who told Michael Scotto on the HoopsHype Podcast that Lacob values Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody more than other teams do right now. As a result, the odds of either rookie being included in a trade this season – for Ben Simmons or anyone else – are very low.

Lacob’s desire to develop players like Kuminga, Moody, and James Wiseman into cornerstones for the next era of Warriors basketball would seem to be at odds with Stephen Curry‘s desire to maximize the team’s current window, Slater observes. However, Curry signed a new four-year extension with Golden State this offseason and seems “pretty dead set” on finishing his career with the team, according to Slater.

Slater believes Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green would ideally like to continue playing for the Warriors and pursuing titles together for the rest of their careers. However, Slater views Green as less of a sure thing than Curry to play his entire career in Golden State, noting that Damian Lillard and the Trail Blazers would “love” to acquire the former Defensive Player of the Year if the opportunity arises. Green is under contract through 2022/23.

“If another team is willing to give Draymond a contract that the Warriors aren’t in a couple of years, I could see that going differently, even if their dream scenario would be to play forever,” Slater told Scotto.

Here’s more on the Warriors:

According to Slater on the HoopsHype podcast, Klay Thompson has participated in some two-on-two workouts and some “very controlled” contact work. Mid-December is probably the earliest Thompson would come back from his Achilles tear, per Slater, who says the team would be fine with pushing Klay’s return into the new year if he doesn’t feel quite ready next month.
If Andre Iguodala plays beyond the 2021/22 season, it would only be with the Warriors, Slater opines. Slater also expects the team to play it safe with the veteran wing during the season, resting him frequently to make sure he’s fresh for the stretch run and the postseason.
The Warriors have assigned Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody to the G League in order to have them play in Santa Cruz’s game against the Ignite on Wednesday, tweets Slater. The two lottery picks have played very limited minutes at the NBA level so far.

Pacific Notes: Suns, Bridges, CP3, Klay, Kawhi

October 15th, 2021 at 7:03pm CST by Luke Adams

The Suns‘ run to the NBA Finals in 2021 caught some NBA fans and observers off guard, but team owner Robert Sarver is confident that his club is well-positioned to “compete at a very high level again,” as Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic relays. Sarver believe Phoenix has a solid foundation in place and that a handful of offseason roster tweaks will help the team remain in title contention.

“We added a few players that I think will help us,” Sarver said. “I think you’re seeing a little bit of that in the preseason so far. So I think between the additions, between the foundation and then between what I call the organic growth, which is just our younger players keep getting better and better and developing year by year, I think we have an opportunity to make another step.”

One of those “younger” players the Suns are counting on to play a big role is three-and-D wing Mikal Bridges, who is eligible for a rookie scale extension. Bridges and the Suns have until Monday evening to work out a new deal that would keep him off the restricted free agent market next summer, and he told reporters on Friday that his priority is to remain in Phoenix (video link via Rankin).

“We want to be here,” Bridges said of himself and teammate Deandre Ayton, who is also up for an extension. “Plain and simple. We love this team, love this organization, what it’s done for us.”

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

Speaking to Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated, Suns point guard Chris Paul said he’s not thinking about retiring anytime soon and doesn’t have a specific goal in mind for what how many more years he’ll play. “I don’t know how long I’m going to play,” said Paul, who signed a new four-year contract in the offseason. “I’m going to play until God willing, and he says, ‘You need to sit down somewhere,’ or my kids tell me, ‘Daddy, you’re embarrassing us.'”
Warriors sharpshooter Klay Thompson is expected to be cleared to practice in full within the next month or so, says Shams Charania of The Athletic (video link). That’s a pretty vague timeline, and Charania cautions that Thompson will require a ramp-up period once he begins practicing, so it remains unlikely that he’ll be back in Golden State’s lineup before sometime in December.
The Clippers would rather have Kawhi Leonard on the floor, but while he’s recovering from ACL surgery, the team is glad he’s able to serve as a de facto coach on the sidelines, writes Mirjam Swanson of The Orange County Register. “He’s not like the loudest one, but no, he knows what to say, what to do,” Nicolas Batum said of his star teammate. “When he has (something) to say, especially on the side when we play five-on-five … he’ll take guys on the side and tell you what he sees, what he just saw the last previous play.”

Warriors Notes: Thompson, Wiggins, Curry, Roster

September 27th, 2021 at 9:02pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Warriors president of basketball operations Bob Myers said Klay Thompson can participate in some training camp activities, “just not contact, no 5-on-5,” Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets. Thompson’s return will perhaps come in January when he feels he’s ready. However, he’ll ramp up activities gradually and will participate in numerous scrimmages, and perhaps high-intensity G League practices, before he returns.

Thompson hints that he’s a little more optimistic about his return date, saying he wouldn’t return until late November or early December, Slater adds in another tweet.

Coach Steve Kerr said Thompson, who has missed two seasons due to knee and Achilles injuries, will make his season debut in a home game, Nick Friedell of ESPN tweets.

We have more on the Warriors:

Andrew Wiggins isn’t backing down from his anti-vax stance, though he won’t elaborate on his reasons, Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area writes. If Wiggins is not fully vaccinated by October 13, he will not be allowed inside Chase Center for practices or games. For every game he misses, he’ll forfeit more than $350K in pre-tax salary, Poole notes. Myers is hopeful Wiggins will change his stance, according to Friedell. “My belief and my thoughts are that we’ll have the full team,” Myers said. “I’m not preparing really for anything different right now.”
Though Golden State is deep into the luxury tax, Stephen Curry would like to see the front office to use its taxpayer mid-level exception, perhaps in the buyout market, if the right opportunity arises, Tim Kawakami of The Athletic tweets.
There are no roster changes anticipated heading into the season, Marcus Thompson of The Athletic tweets. “I expect this roster to be our roster, especially in the near term and probably into the season,” Myers said. “I want to see what the team looks like as constructed.” There will be spirited competition for the final roster spots on a team with 13 guaranteed contracts. Golden State recently added veterans Avery Bradley, Langston Galloway and Jordan Bell to the camp roster.