Golden State Warriors: Klay Thompson’s defensive work goes under the radar

Against the Mavericks, Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson once again proved that he’s an All NBA defender. Luka Doncic wasn’t held scoreless, but he was denied making plays all night.

Four-time All-Star Klay Thompson is a quiet guy. Secretly he stands in the shadow of Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry with the ability to sometimes jump out and steal the spotlight like he did in the Golden State Warriors thrashing of Chicago a few weeks ago, a game he dropped 52 points in.

The game in Dallas once again showed the importance of Klay Thompson in the Warriors defensive lineup. Klay doesn’t shine when looking at the stats. He’s actually hiding inside them, but on the court, his actions speak volumes.

Klay only had four rebounds and was recorded zero steals or blocks in American Airlines Center. But his impact on the game was so much more than the box score showed. Over and over he was in front of Doncic making possessions tough and thereby forcing other players to score.

This obviously takes away energy from the opponent’s offense.

Klay fills the void created from the absence of Iguodala and Green’s normally above-average play this year, and he has been a primary defender on other team’s best player through the season.

You won’t notice Thompson if you don’t watch him live. As Durant pointed of years back, the true picture of a player materializes at the game, not in the stats.

Klay is not the king of blocks, steals or rebounds. He does not shine at the defensive metrics. But he’s there, and he’s elite.

This year, he’s averaging 4,1 rebounds, 1,3 steals and 0,7 blocks.

In Denver, he grabbed three rebounds, had three steals and zero blocks. If you don’t watch Klay live, his defensive skills will go under the radar. You can’t detect him in the stats.

Instead, do yourself a favor. Go get league pass and watch the Warriors game in Dallas. Look at the work he put into Doncic that night.

Klay does what’s best for the team – he always has.

Since the arrival of Durant, his offensive game has been downsized. It’s harder to get a hot hand when you don’t have the ball as much. Klay has accepted his new role, and sometimes he even seems to enjoy the on-court life away from the spotlight.

These days he shines in defense. Offensively, he explodes here and there.

But he’s deserving of an All-Defensive nod for his non-stat hard work.