Before the start of the 2021-22 season, there was no stop talking about when all-time scorer Klay Thompson would return. The last time I saw Tang Shen put on the team was back to the sixth game of the 2018-19 Warriors and Raptors Finals, and more than two years have passed in the blink of an eye, and everything has long been wrong. After successive killer injuries to the two major players, the knee cruciate ligament tear and the Achilles tendon tear, Thompson needs to go through both physical and mental suffering if he wants to return to the game.
So the timing of the comeback was delayed from the eve of the initial Christmas war, and finally, when all the conditions were ripe and the parties themselves were psychologically prepared. Our protagonist, Klay Thompson, is finally out in a desperate attempt to make a comeback against the Cavaliers! Thinking back to that year, the Cavaliers and Warriors met in the finals for four consecutive years, and the riding battle has become the memory of many people's youth, and the comeback in the duel with such an old opponent also has a different taste for Thompson.
So, what are the highlights of the first battle of Tang Shen's return to the throne? This article will sort out three points, which are worth savoring in the game.
The first is that after the comeback, Thompson will definitely have a time limit, and the Warriors' medical team will gradually open this shackle according to the situation, which will be a gradual process for a player who has been away from the field for two years. The good news is that Thompson will start from the start after his comeback, which is both the Warriors' respect for him and the help of Tang Shen to regain his former feelings as soon as possible. As for his initial time limit, it should be around 18 minutes, mainly in the first half.
Of course, this matter depends on the Warriors' director of sports medicine and the chief rehabilitator of the medical team, Rick Sererini. After all, according to coach Steve Kerr, whether Thompson can play or not depends on Rick's words. Presumably, Rick had already sketched out a recovery plan in Rick's mind about Clay slowly recovering his state. After all, everyone knows that no matter how glorious the Warriors' record is today, if you want to really attack the O'Brien Cup, the soup god who has no health and finds his state is tantamount to a fool's dream.
The second point is worth noting, who will make the sacrifice when Thompson returns? In Thompson's absence, Jordan Poole's sudden rise is arguably the Warriors' biggest surprise of the season. In a situation where Curry's play can be regarded as quantitative, Poole's progress and the play of Peyton Jr. and brother-in-law Damien Lee are decisive factors for the Warriors to be at the top of the league this season. As the main rotation of the defender line, the rest of the players except Curry will more or less reduce the playing time that was originally their own.
For now, it seems likely that Gary Payton II will slip in the rotation, in other words, he will be the one who has made the most sacrifices. But in Cole's passing system, everyone has the possibility of erupting, depending on whether they can seize the opportunity. Therefore, the next competition in the Warriors' guard line will be very fierce. Of course, Thompson may also occupy a part of the playing time that originally belonged to Otto Porter, but considering that Thompson's injury is just recovering, Cole is bound to minimize the position of putting him on the flank.
The last point, and the one that Warriors fans care about most, is the Splash Brothers now able to regain the layers of competitiveness they once had? At that time, "Ku you have gravity" and Clay's epic no-ball, combined, became a splash brother duo that made the whole league tremble. Now, Thompson himself admits that successive injuries will cause a sharp decline in his explosive power and lateral speed. But Tang Shen also made it clear that he was not a player who relied on physical fitness to play, and he also showed a good shooting state in training.
But it should be pointed out that training and competition are completely different states, don't look at dream Green's three-point projection in the game is a bit absurd, his accuracy in training can not be ambiguous at all. Therefore, under the confrontation at the NBA level, Thompson's first game can show several successes of that year. The good news is that this season's "Curry gravity" has increased unabated, and The comeback of Thompson is bound to lighten the burden on him, and at the same time, for Thompson, there is no better fit than playing next to Curry. Coach Kerr said that "Thompson will get a lot of opportunities to shoot in the empty position", can Thompson seize the opportunity of these empty positions? Let's wait and see! Remember to lock in this "riding battle" that was given a different meaning because of Thompson's comeback!