Golden State Warriors: 5 Things Klay Thompson Needs To Work On

3. Take Less Shots

May 2, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson (11) controls the ball against Denver Nuggets shooting guard Andre Iguodala (9) during the third quarter of game six of the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

This goes in tandem with “know when to pass,” but is slightly more nuanced.

Thompson is undoubtedly one of the best shooters in the league, arguably the second-best guard from beyond the arc after Stephen Curry, and he also has one of the nicest looking jumpshots in the game. That being said, everyone has off nights and they need to know how to adjust accordingly. Thompson became a little Monta Ellis-esque in his last playoff outings, and his volume shooting took shots away from teammates that were shooting more efficiently, namely Harrison Barnes.

In his last four playoff appearances, Thompson attempted 53 shots and only connected on 18 of them, shooting a dismal 34 percent from the field. I can’t fault Thompson for not connecting on more shots, as everyone has their off nights, but what I can fault him for is to continue shooting even when he knows he isn’t doing well. He needed to swallow his pride, accept the fact that he was doing poorly and adjust his goals for the game going forward. Instead, he tried to shoot himself out from a hole unsuccessfully.