It’s been over two years since fans were able to see five-time All-Star Klay Thompson on the court. More importantly, it’s been several years since the Golden State Warriors were able to have the presence of one of the best sharpshooters to ever play the game.
Thompson initially tore his ACL in the 2019 NBA Finals, and then, right before this past season, tore his Achilles while rehabbing to get back onto the court. It was a brutal injury as Thompson easily missed the entire 2020-2021 season.
The Golden State Warriors won’t have Klay Thompson to kick the 2021-2022 season off, but they are expecting to see him play this calendar year.
The Warriors have clearly missed him. They won 15 games the first season he missed. To be fair, two-time MVP Stephen Curry also played just five games that year, so it was a rough season for the team’s two stars.
Even last season wasn’t even as Curry was the league’s scoring leader yet Golden State missed the playoffs, losing a play-in game to the Memphis Grizzlies. His ability to be the team’s second-best scoring threat along with one of their best defenders is extraordinarily helpful.
While it’s unknown specifically when Thompson will be back in the Warriors lineup, it’s looking likely that he’ll return against the Phoenix Suns on Christmas Day which will be a couple of months into the new season.
"“He’s doing well in his recovery, but the Warriors are targeting that Christmas day game against the [Phoenix] Suns for his return,” Shelburne said on ESPN’s “The Jump,” via NBC Sports’ Ali Thanawalla."
The Warriors have both a spot in the opening-day slate of games and on Christmas Day. Their match on Christmas will be against the Western Conference champs, and it should be a thriller. Thompson returning would make it that much more interesting.
Christmas is arguably the most important set of basketball games until the playoffs, so getting Thompson back on national television would be ideal.
The Warriors will hope to just keep alive until they get him back, and if Curry continues to play at an ultra-high level, there’s no reason to believe they’ll drastically decline. Regardless, Thompson’s return will take them from a playoff-contending team to a championship-contending one.
Bringing back a player that’s scored over 20 points per game his last five seasons in the NBA will be huge for this roster, one that lacks a scorer of Thompson’s consistency and efficiency.
With that Christmas game just two months into the season, the damage can’t be too great until the Warriors can get their star back in the lineup.