Klay Thompson focused on his defensive game, not the 'fickle' love from fans, media
Golden State guard Klay Thompson took another shot at Warriors fans on Thursday, less than one week after he called them out for their lack of energy at Oracle Arena during a loss to the last-place Phoenix Suns.
This time, however, Thompson was more focused on himself.
“At the end of the day, the love from the media and fans can be fickle, just because it's so game-to-game,” Thompson said, via NBC. “We live in a time where it's 'What have you done for me lately?' You can't get caught up in the love right now because the end goal is far from that."
Thompson — who dropped 18 points in a 112-89 win against the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night in Oakland — blasted Golden State fans last week, and apologized just days later. Warriors coach Steve Kerr, though, backed Thompson up, saying he understood where Thompson was coming from.
His latest message about fans, though, probably shouldn’t be taken as an insult. Instead, it sounds like he’s focused on his game — more specifically, being named to the NBA’s All-Defensive team. That honor has always been a goal of his, he said, and he’s right there statistically — he ranks fifth among shooting guards with 1.18 steals per game and fourth among shooting guards in blocks at 0.64 per game, per NBC.
While it’s unclear if those numbers, along with his overall performance, are enough to land him a spot among the NBA’s defensive best, Thompson circled back to the team’s defensive effort. With the Warriors finishing yet another season atop the Western Conference standings, he said their defensive effort often is overlooked.
“We have to have some great defenders on this team,” Thompson said, via NBC. “We’ve been in first place for four out of five frickin’ years. We’ve got to have some great defenders. It’s not just all offense with this team. We’ve got some great guys that play that side of the ball.”
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