On Feb. 15, Klay Thompson was moved to the Golden State Warriors bench in what was a bold move by head coach Steve Kerr. Thomspon, 34, had struggled for consistency on both sides of the floor when playing in the first unit. However, he has slowly begun to excel in a defined bench role.
Thompson had another impressive night against the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday (March 16). He ended the game with 26 points on 9-of-15 shooting. When speaking to the media after the Warrior’s 128-121 victory, Draymond Green revealed that once Thompson embraced his new role, his performances began to improve drastically.
“It shows his maturity,” Green said. “He’s been starting since halfway through his rookie season. And to have a resume like he has. Build up an organization like he has. And then you’re asked to take on a bench role. There’s not many people that know how that feels, but there was a bunch of people that wanted to judge him. I thought that early on, he was too worried about how people were judging him, and now he don’t care. And once he stop caring, his game did what we know Klay Thompson is capable of doing…We want to extend this as long as we can. THis is our baby. We built this thing from the ground up.”
Despite being moved to the bench, Thompson is still receiving starter-level minutes. Kerr is simply working to give his veteran sharpshooter more favorable matchups on both sides of the floor and ensure Thompson’s presence is providing balance for Golden State’s roster.
"I think early on, he was too worried about how people [were] judging him. And now he don't care … I think it shows incredible maturity."
Draymond on Klay flourishing in his bench role 🔥 pic.twitter.com/HWsnMDGl9H
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 17, 2024
Thompson will become an unrestricted free agent in the summer. The front office will likely begin contract negotiations with him once the teams season reaches its conclusion.
