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Klay Thompson’s return will change everything for the Warriors

By Nathan Beighle

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 06: Injured player Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors looks on from the bench during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Chase Center on May 06, 2021 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 06: Injured player Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors looks on from the bench during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Chase Center on May 06, 2021 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /
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After five straight NBA Finals appearances, the Warriors have now missed the playoffs for back-to-back seasons.

However, Klay Thompson‘s return will change almost everything about how the league views Golden State. They were once a dangerous powerhouse that controlled the NBA, winning three titles in four seasons.

The Golden State Warriors will hopefully get Klay Thompson back next season, and his return will finally get this team back to their old form.

However, after Kevin Durant signed with the Nets and Klay Thompson tore his ACL, nothing has been the same. Thompson was slated to return this season until tearing his Achilles in the days leading up to the 2020 NBA Draft.

He’s been sidelined this entire season. It’s crazy to think Thompson hasn’t played a single game in the NBA since the Covid-19 pandemic changed the way of normalcy in early 2020. Let’s just say he’s ready to return.

“While our season comes to an end, mines just getting started and I’ve never been hungrier,” Thompson posted to Instagram after the Warriors season was ended by the Ja Morant-led Grizzlies.

Warriors fans, after seeing the performance of the team the last two games, should be begging for his return. Thompson isn’t the caliber of superstar that two-time MVP Stephen Curry is, but he brings an impact that might be just as great.

Thompson is among the best two-way players in the NBA. While we do not know what level he will return at, Thompson is confident he’ll be just as good as before. That should be music to the ears of fans that have missed his terrific play.

One of the best to ever shoot the rock, Thompson’s touch likely hasn’t gone anywhere, and that alone will be a huge boost. Scoring 20-plus points per game for five straight seasons is the type of production that can just be forgotten.

A stinging loss like what the Warriors suffered at the hand of Memphis has cast Thompson and this team’s peak next season back into the spotlight. It should both excite and energize a fanbase that watched the team have the league’s worst record last season.

While this season was better, finishing in the 8th spot in the Western Conference, it still wasn’t up to their lofty standards. The hope is that Thompson, who is coming off an ACL tear and Achilles rupture, should be able to give them the necessary boost to get to that next level.

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He will be especially impactful considering the Warriors aren’t expecting to have the cap space to re-sign Kelly Oubre Jr. Nonetheless, next season will be far different than this one, and it’ll be Thompson who is the main catalyst for that change.

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