Klay Thompson frustrated after being benched in clutch for Warriors win over Nets
Klay Thompson finished with eight points on 4-of-9 shooting, 0-of-3 from beyond the arc, on Monday night in Brooklyn.
Thompson was subbed out for rest with 7:19 left in the game but was never re-inserted. Thanks to 29 points and a clutch 3-pointer from Stephen Curry, plus 28 points and 10 boards from Jonathan Kuminga, the Warriors hung on for a 109-98 win in Brooklyn. Coach Steve Kerr stuck with rookie forward rookie Gui Santos and four starters in crunch time, and Santos finished the game with a team-best +13 in his 18 minutes.
After the game, Thompson was clearly frustrated.
Wonder what Klay is mad about here... pic.twitter.com/YYdOR9AFh9
— Oh no he didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) February 6, 2024
The combination of age (Thompson is 33) and major injuries have taken a toll on Thompson's game in recent years. He has gone from the second-best shooter in the league and an All-NBA two-way force to being a solid starter-level player, and multiple times this season he has expressed frustration in dealing with that. He did again Monday night.
Klay Thompson said it’s hard to not close: “Yeah, you kidding me? To go from one of the best players…It’s hard for anybody.”
Klay credited the young guys.
Draymond from off camera (to reporters): “I didn’t close Game 5 of the Finals. Who the f*** cares?” pic.twitter.com/CzYNX4vulw— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 6, 2024
This also gets to the heart of the contract extension negotiations for the Warriors and Thompson — he is a free agent after this season. Despite the wishful thinking of fans who like NBA chaos, there is zero chance the Warriors are trading Thompson at the deadline, however, what number he should get to return to a team paying a historic luxury tax bill is up in the air. Draymond Green, another part of the Warriors core, agreed to a four-year, $100 million extension last summer.
Thompson's contract frustrations are an extension of his frustrations on the court. This season, he's averaging 17.1 points a game, shooting 37.1% from 3 and a 55.6 true shooting percentage a little below the league average. His advanced stats are those of a player closer to league average than how Thompson pictures himself.
That adjustment has been understandingly frustrating for Thompson. However, for Kerr trying to get his team to string together wins and climb back into the postseason picture, he has to go with what works now. Monday night in Brooklyn, that was Santos.
