Warriors guard Klay Thompson overcame one of the most strenuous journeys possible to return to the basketball court. To be exact, 941 days the sharpshooting guard waited for opportunity—rehabbing from an ACL injury in his left knee and a torn right Achilles tendon—to put on a Warriors’ uniform for a NBA game in January.
However, when the Warriors defeated the Celtics last month to secure their fourth NBA title in the last eight seasons, Thompson’s journey back to the hardwood had a different level of appreciation behind it. While his production fluctuated in the season, Thompson’s father, Mychal, believes the world has not seen the best version of his son following the injuries.
“Klay’s going to be even better next year because he will have an offseason to train and [he’s] further away from his injury, so he’s going to be just fine,” Mychal said on 95.7 The Game’s Willard & Dibs Show.
As the two-time NBA champion embraces his son’s continued growth, Mychal also shared that he was most concerned about Klay’s defense and if he would be able to stay in front of players in the way that he was able to before the injuries.
“He [Klay] played great defense against two of the best scorers in the league against [Jaylen] Brown and [Jayson] Tatum, so if you can defend those two guys, stay in front of those two guys, you’re fine,” Mychal said.
In the 2021-22 regular season, Thompson averaged 20.4 points and nearly four rebounds and three assists per game through 32 contests. In 22 playoff games, Thompson averaged 19 points while shooting 42.9% from the floor and 38.5% from beyond the arc.
