The Golden State Warriors are the league’s best team; however, without Thompson finding his rhythm, they’ve yet reach their full potential.
Two things Golden State Warriors fans have noticed to start this season are that Stephen Curry has returned his MVP-like self and Klay Thompson has struggled to find his rhythm. Could those be dependent on each other?
When Thompson starts to knock down shots, will Curry’s phenomenal play start to balance out to normal Curry-like performances?
Well, let’s see what the numbers have to say about it.
For this season, Klay’s yet to hit 20 points in a single game, while averaging at least 20 points per game in each of the last four consecutive seasons. On the other hand, Curry’s yet to score less than 25 points per game.
He was one point away in two separate games to scoring over 30 points in every game this season. A dynamic superstar, Curry is at the peak of his game and is averaging the most field attempts per game of his career.
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An elite superstar, Curry is on tract to be the team’s MVP, but his uptick in shot-making and shot-taking could directly be correlated with the fact that Klay’s attempting fewer shots per game than normal.
Shooting under 16 shots per game, you’d have to go back almost half a decade to see the last time Klay didn’t hit that threshold. Prior to breaking out as a superstar, Klay wasn’t as involved, but now, it could just a lack of confidence or a lack of sharing the ball.
While it’s easy to blame Klay taking fewer shots on Steph alone, it’s also, by our thinking, could be Kevin Durant‘s fault. He’s shooting 20.7 shots per game, the second highest of his career. On a team with four stars, two of which are superstars, Durant shooting 20+ shots per game seems incredibly high.
The Dubs have turned into a two-headed monster. And, while Klay is a successful and proven scorer, he isn’t the dynamic playmaker that Curry and Durant are. With those two battling to claim dominance over the Dubs, Klay and his efficiency have dipped.
While it hasn’t happened quite yet, if either Curry or Durant have a horrific game, the Dubs will need Klay. Does it come as a shock that the Dubs are scoring significantly more points per game this season yet see a marginal decrease in assists?
Still leading the league with 29.2 assists per game, the Dubs have transitioned more to an isolation style. An iso-style play enhances the abilities of Curry and Durant, but it hurts Klay. This might not continue, and as a proven professional, Klay should improve regardless, but it is worth noting that both Durant and Curry have seen a higher usage while Klay has seen a lower one.
Is that an issue? At 5-1, it doesn’t seem like one as of now.