2016 Golden State Warriors Season Preview: Klay Thompson

What Part His Game Can Klay Improve?

Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

As aforementioned, Thompson is one of the top players at his position, but is he elite? Is he a star?

The answer is no.

Yes, Thompson earned himself his first All-Star appearance. Yes, he put on the most impressive single quarter performance we may ever see in our lifetime. And yes, there is a number of reasonable arguments that could be made to support why he’s the best all-around shooting guard in the league.

But there are very few elite players in the NBA, guys like LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Chris Paul who have consistently set themselves apart time and time again.

Thompson did not set himself apart until this season, so seeing whether he continues to round out his game and perform at a high level consistently will be key to determining his exact level of play.

Live Feed

Sir Charles In Charge

And it really starts with just that — his consistency.

The ongoing thing with Thompson is the fact that he normally puts on great individual performances to start the season, then his production seems to regress as the year progresses.

Of course, I’m namely referring to the fact that while he did prove more consistent this year compared to prior years, his numbers took a considerable dip during the playoffs. If you’re like me — and what I assume to be the majority of basketball fans — then you understand the importance of showing out in the playoffs.

Thompson failed to show up almost completely.

Yeah, he was great in the series against the New Orleans Pelicans, averaging 25 points on 48.6 percent shooting from the field and 48.5 percent shooting from behind the arc.

However, moving onto the second round against the Memphis Grizzlies, we see Thompson drop to 17.8 points per game, but his accuracy remains high at 47.7 percent from the field and 46.9 percent from behind the arc.

Then against the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference Finals, we have Thompson still at 17.8 points, but this time shooting only 41.7 percent from the field and 34.1 percent from three-point land.

Finally we have the epic NBA Finals series against the Cleveland Cavaliers, in which Thompson not-so-epically averaged 15.8 points on 40.9 percent field goal shooting and 30.0 percent from long-range.

If the Warriors want even the slightest chance of repeating, this is not the kind of guy they need lugging around in the postseason. Luckily, there’s a few things that Thompson can do to create more consistent offense when he’s on the floor.

Next: How Klay Can Become More Consistent