Very few players can lie at home with a top salary for two years, and the team doesn't trade yet. As has been the practice in the past, after a player has a major injury, the team will be in a benevolent manner and provide a big contract. Players also know that their abilities may be affected, and generally trade after accepting a contract. The team earns face, and the players can leave with dignity. Like Thompson, it is indeed very rare.
The reason why the Warriors are willing to do this is mainly because they have made too much money on Thompson in the first two years, and the team owner also believes that with Thompson's style of play, the future will certainly not be affected too much. Thompson also has feelings for the Warriors, so he did not choose to offer a trade.
It's clear that Thompson has now switched his playing style. After the comeback, Tang Shen's state was different, and his performance was also very different from before. The difference here is not that Thompson's ability is not good, but that his actual playing style is a little different from before. It could be an injury or Thompson himself adjusting his playing style.
What has Tang Shen changed? Obviously, as a pure no-ball 3D player, Thompson now holds the ball a lot more than before. As you can see from his performance on the field, Thompson's number of ball-holding offenses has increased significantly. In the past, Thompson's attack was a projection after taking cover, but now for many rounds, Thompson likes to catch the ball in the backcourt and let his teammates clear the side area to play hard. For a number two position, this style of play is certainly no problem. But Thompson, as a player whose main offensive means of not having the ball, is strange in this way.
From the data point of view, Thompson has also significantly increased his number of breakthroughs. It should be noted that the dependence of players without the ball on breakthroughs is relatively low, and Thompson's number of breakthroughs this season has increased by about 75% compared with previous healthy seasons. It's a bit confusing.
Some people may say that Thompson took the initiative to transform, is this not a good thing? If it's on another team, that might be a good thing, but in the Warriors, that behavior is a bit off. The Warriors are team basketball, so every one of their offenses is team-oriented. Thompson's over-possession of the ball has only one result, and his assist rate has dropped significantly. In other words, the Warriors' team effect did not work in Thompson's singles round. This has violated the Warriors' team building ideas and tactical system, and in the long run, there may be more unexpected situations. The Warriors should be keeping steady now, not simply looking for a breakthrough.
Thompson's explanation for this is that he has been away from the field for too long and needs to practice something new to enrich his offensive arsenal. For this answer, I think many people must not buy it. Thompson was a super shooter before, and his no-ball efficiency was already in the league's first gear. It stands to reason that as long as the Warriors day, Thompson does not have the so-called transformation problem, and the arsenal is enough. This shift will only bring him unnecessary trouble.
If you think about this from the perspective of the whole team, you may be able to find the answer. Let's start with the results and look at the effect of Thompson's transformation. Thompson increased the percentage of ball possession, and the most immediate consequence was that the team had more possession points. Do the Warriors need to hold the ball? The Warriors don't need it when Durant isn't leaving because their roster is already rich enough. Even if Durant leaves, russell is a good choice. It's just that after these people leave, the Warriors don't have the so-called ball-holding strong point.
Although Curry's ball-holding technique is good, Curry is definitely the first point of diversion, and his main way of playing is no ball, creating space for others, while using tactics to find suitable opportunities. The defensive intensity Curry faces is actually not suitable for playing without the ball. Some people may say wiggins, in fact, Wiggins's ability to hold the ball is more average. His offensive area is only the strong side, the weak area on the left, and Wiggins's offensive efficiency is very low. And the Warriors have given a chance before, but Wiggins didn't practice at the right time, so the Warriors can only give this problem to Thompson to solve. With Thompson's ability and talent, coupled with such a long practice time, it can still have some effect.
The Warriors have always played on the no-ball lineup before, and have relied on this lineup to succeed without Durant, so why suddenly need a strong point with the ball to join? Will this change directly change the Warriors' formation and efficiency? From the current point of view, the effect is still good. The Warriors themselves have enough tacit understanding, and Thompson's changes are positive, with the right scoring efficiency as a support, the team's scoring is passable, naturally not afraid.
In fact, this also involves the problem of the team's tactical system. There is a phenomenon in the league that a team that can win as a team usually improves if it joins a more compatible ball-holding point. Note that there is a premise here that a strong point of possession is added without changing the chemistry of the team. It can't be the team's ball bullying behavior that directly leads to the collapse of the team's chemical reaction, which is very much worth the loss. A good example is the Jazz, the Jazz's supporting roles can be team-oriented, with Mitchell, a strong point with the ball, the Jazz's combat effectiveness has directly doubled several times. This is the positive improvement that a strong point of possession brings to the team.
If you're an old fan, you know that the Warriors actually had a strong point of possession a long time ago. Although this ball-holding point is not the main force of the team, the effect on the Warriors is quite obvious. This man is Livingston, who has retired. Watch Livingston play and every ball is played with confidence. The team already has a scoring drought? It's okay, just let Livingston go up and try it. It's like a catalyst to break the deadlock while bringing vitality to the Warriors. And now Thompson is doing what Livingston did.
According to my vision, Thompson is still the most important thing to do 3D. If Wiggins can be allowed to practice the so-called ability to hold the ball, the depth of the team's lineup will be opened at once, and The pressure on Thompson will not be so great. With two of the strongest no-ball players in league history, plus a strong ball-holding point, paired with good role players, this lineup depth, the bottom is the division finals. Unfortunately, the mouth brother does not have this hope, and the Warriors can only use Thompson. But Thompson, always be trusted. This game against the Warriors, he scored 16 points in the final quarter, 33 points and 5 rebounds, which is the best evidence.