Can Warriors’ Klay Thompson actually return if the season was suspended?

The Golden State Warriors were expected to be without Klay Thompson all season, but with Covid-19 postponing games, there’s potential he returns.

The NBA has had games postponed, and the Warriors have been a victim of the contact tracing and Covid-19 protocols impacting their season. Could it be for the best though as Klay Thompson continues his rehab?

Every team this season has been impacted by the league’s Covid-19 protocols. They made them to keep the players safe, and while doing that, they’ve increasingly been forced to postpone games as teams just don’t have enough players.

Eventually, the league may be forced to do what they clearly do not want to do — suspend the season again. They already reduced it to 72 games in an attempt to get back on their regular schedule.

Suspending the season could eventually be the only proper response to the number of players and staff getting the virus. That could be a blessing in disguise for the Warriors who may be able to welcome back five-time All-Star Klay Thompson.

Here’s the breakdown of his injury and the timeline according to Sporting News.

"The recovery timeline for an average person with a torn Achilles is four to six months. Considering that the 2021 NBA Finals will occur in early July — just under seven months from the start of the NBA season on Dec. 22 — it’s unlikely that Thompson will return before the season ends, even if Golden State was able to secure a spot in the Finals. That also means he will miss all 72 regular-season games in 2020-21."

As you can sense with their breakdown, Thompson is scheduled to miss the entire season.

That’s if the schedule goes as planned, and with surging cases among league circle and a vaccine on its way, it seems like a two-month suspension or something similar could at least be discussed among the league’s management.

Obviously, the financial impact could be tremendous, but for the Warriors, the suspension would help get Thompson back in playing form for the postseason. They’re in playoff contention right now, so they’d likely be able to hang around the 5-8 seed during the regular season.

Thompson is the difference between a title contender and just a playoff team. He’s a three-time champion and one of the best shooters in league history. More importantly, he takes some of the attention off Stephen Curry.

No one this season has been able to keep the defense’s eyes off Curry. Thompson would be able to do that, and with Oubre Jr., Wiggins, and Wiseman, they’d be able to do put in work in the postseason.

That’s a big “if,” but it’s one that becomes a much more real scenario if a suspension happens.