He's the Golden State Warriors' three-point sharpshooter, he's Curry's best buddy, he's once one of the league's best offensive and defensive players, and he's a four-time NBA champion.
He once scored 60 points in a game and used only 11 dribbles, he once made an all-time record of 14 three-pointers in a single quarter, he once scored 37 points in a single quarter that no one has been able to break, and he once played in the Finals with an injury and did his best for his team.
He's Klay Thompson, he's a legend for the Warriors, he's our hero.
However, it may have been a long time since you saw him.
Because, he's no longer the same Klay Thompson.
An atypical downturn year
The 2023-24 season has been inconsistent for the Warriors.
After a six-win, two-loss opening, the Warriors suffered a six-game losing streak from Nov. 8 to Nov. 18, losing 10 of their last 14 games.
As a result, the Warriors sit in 11th place in the Western Conference with a 10-14 record.
Even though Stephen Curry is still one of the best stars in the league, he certainly misses his close teammate Klay Thompson's star performances a lot.
Klay Thompson, what are the stats like this season?
Let's take a look:
| season | Points per game | Turnover per game | 投篮ヒット点 | Three-point shooting percentage |
| 2021-22 | 20.4 | 1.3 | 42.9% | 38.5% |
| 2022-23 | 21.9 | 1.8 | 43.6% | 41.2% |
| 2023-24 | 16 | 2.0 | 40.4% | 35.4% |
From this table, we can see that Clay's data has declined significantly in all aspects.
His scoring was the lowest since his sophomore year, when he averaged 16.6 points per game in 82 games.
His shooting percentage and three-point percentage were both career-low, averaging 13.4 shots per game, his lowest since 10.9 in his rookie season.
So far this season, the Warriors have shot 13th in the league with 36.8 percent from three-point range, while they finished second last year with 38.5 percent.
Looking back, Klay shot 41.9 percent from three-point range in the first eight years of his career.
In the 2021-22 season, the first year he returned from injuries that had been reimbursed for two consecutive seasons, he shot just 38.5 percent from three-point range, a career-low at the time.
Although he raised that figure to 41.2% the following year, this season, he failed to repeat the glory of the latter part of his career.
During the Warriors' six-game losing streak, Klay's shooting woes became more prominent.
He averaged just 11 points per game while shooting just 30.9 percent from the field and 28.2 percent from three-point range.
Obviously, we shouldn't expect that from him, but the fact that Klay has seen such a decline as he gets older could make the Warriors worry about their overall performance.
Defensively, there are struggles
Klay's dip in form may not be a surprise, but his defensive performance hasn't been as good as it should have been, which has caught the attention of Green League legend Paul Pearce.
"Klay was one of the best offensive and defensive players of my career, but as he got older, he struggled a little bit on the defensive end against these young stars," Pierce said. He has to defend Devin Booker, Jaylen Brown and others. It's really hard when you have that kind of race mileage and age. ”
His defensive stats are also a nightmare.
This season, opponents have shot 44.8 percent from the field against Thompson's defense. When they shot less than 6 feet (about 1.8 meters) from the basket, the shooting percentage rose to 55.3 percent, while the shooting percentage was still 55 percent when shooting within 10 feet (about 3 meters).
His defensive efficiency is 121.2, which is the lowest in the Warriors. Correspondingly, he has a net efficiency value of -5.2, which is the fifth lowest on the team.
Considering that Klay Thompson has been almost full attendance since entering the league in 2011, and it wasn't until the 2019 NBA Finals that he suffered his first serious injury, it's fair to say that the accumulated mileage and injuries have caught up with the 13-year veteran.
To make matters worse, the Warriors' introduction of Andrew Wiggins in the 2020-21 season was originally intended to ease the burden on veteran Klay's defense, but Wiggins' performance also declined significantly at the beginning of the season.
The Warriors currently have a defensive efficiency value of 117.2, which ranks third from the bottom in the league. With such a defense, it's hard to believe that they were once one of the best defensive teams in the league.
Coming off the bench?
Despite these problems, Clay was not discouraged. When asked if head coach Steve Kerr is patient with him and the rest of the starting lineup, Thompson even said he wouldn't rule out coming off the bench.
"Do you want me to be on the bench? or do you want Wiggins to be on the bench? You can make suggestions, that's okay. I think sometimes you hear some advice about patience and finding yourself. I think history is on our side in this regard. ”
Clay's words show his confidence in himself and his respect for Cole. In the 2016-17 season, Kerr used Andre Iguodala off the bench to leave Barnes in order to better integrate Durant into the team. This decision allowed the Warriors to win the championship that season.
But is Clay really willing to come off the bench? After all, he is one of the core members of the Warriors, he has experienced the glory days of the Warriors with Curry and Green, and he is also a loyal player of the Warriors, and he has turned down high-paying contracts from other teams in order to stay with the Warriors.
If Klay comes off the bench, it could hurt his self-esteem and it could affect his chemistry with the team. And Thompson's replacement doesn't necessarily have to be better than him. The Warriors' current backup guards include Moody, Gary Payton II and Brandin Poziemski. They are both young players with potential, but they are not as experienced and consistent as Thompson.
Therefore, it may not be a wise choice to bring Clay off the bench. Perhaps, the Warriors should give Klay more time and trust to slowly regain his form, instead of giving up on him easily.
Thompson's future
Clay's downturn has left his future uncertain. His contract expires at the end of the season and he will become a free agent. What should the Warriors do about his future?
Klay has made a huge contribution to the Warriors, he is a core member of the Warriors team and Curry's best partner. He has won four championships for the Warriors and has set many amazing records. He is a legend of the Warriors and an icon to the fans. The Warriors have a reason to offer him a lucrative contract to stay in Golden State.
However, Klay's slump also puts the Warriors at risk. He is 33 years old. Should the Warriors give him a pension contract to ensure that the core of Curry, Thompson and Green stays together until retirement, or they can hope that Curry remains at his peak and try to build a younger team around him to bring him and the Warriors their fifth championship of the century.
Until then, however, the Warriors will do their best to make the most of Thompson's value before the end of the season. It's too early to draw conclusions to the Warriors and even mark them as sellers with trade deadlines, but Thompson will need to get back into shape quickly if the team is to make the playoffs.
Clay, can you still come back?
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