The Golden State Warriors have lost 18 games this season. They’ve been dealing with injuries, suspensions, and multiple players struggling out of the gates. As such, there’s a growing concern about the team’s ability to compete at the highest level, especially with their uncharacteristic trend of letting leads slip away down the stretch.
However, Klay Thompson is refusing to hit the panic button. The veteran sharpshooter is trying to remain confident that the Warriors have enough talent and experience within their rotation to figure things out. During his post-game press conference, he also reminded everyone that the Warriors are playing without one of their best players in, Draymond Green.
“I think we have the ability to close,” Thompson said. “And I think the silver lining is that there have been a lot of games like this. Therefore, there’s no reason to let the doubt creep in. Let’s just learn from it, dissect the film, and learn how to close. I wholeheartedly believe in this team. We’re obviously without one of our best players and it will help, very much, when Draymond comes back. We’ll figure it out.”
Despite the loss, Thompson had one of his better performances this season. He ended the game with 24 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block, shooting 50% from the field and 40% from 3-point range. He also played some stellar defense throughout the contest.
Klay explains why he still "whole-heartedly believe[s] in this team" to figure it out this season 💯 pic.twitter.com/utStmVPI2F
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) January 5, 2024
Nevertheless, individual performances aren’t the focus for the Warriors right now. It’s their production as a collective and their ability to play as a unit when their backs are against the wall, and they’re forced to handle pressure. It will be interesting to see if they can turn the corner and start turning some of these close games into wins over the remaining months of the season.
