Klay Thompson has snapped out of his shooting slump over the past three games. The veteran has begun looking like his usual self, which has helped make use of the Golden State Warriors spacing in Steve Kerr‘s five-out system. Thompson had been receiving significant amounts of criticism for his struggles in recent weeks.
On Sunday (Dec. 17) Thompson dropped 28 points against the Portland Trail Blazers, shooting 68.8% from the field and 50% from 3-point range. When addressing the media after the game, the four-time NBA champion noted that he’s not yet at his best and expects to continue improving as the season progresses.
“I thought I played well,” Thompson said. “I still know I can be better. I still know I can be consistently better. It’s something to build on, obviously. We have a huge test on Tuesday (against the Boston Celtics.) It’s always fun when one of the best teams in the league comes in. We have the ability to protect our home court against a championship-caliber team. I will look to hopefully replicate the same performance.”
Thompson is in the final year of his current contract. He will become an unrestricted free agent in the summer. As such, he’s currently playing to earn himself a new deal. It would appear that he’s managed to put that to the back of his mind, as he’s stepping up to help the Warriors turn their season around.
Thompson will have a tough individual test when he goes up against Derrick White of the Celtics. Both guards are at an elite level and will look to create an advantage against each other. After stringing a handful of good performances together, Thompson should feel confident heading into that matchup.
