Golden State Warriors: Expectations for Klay Thompson

Klay Thompson could be back before we know it. What should the Golden State Warriors expect from their All-Star shooting guard?

With the reports that the Golden State Warriors are optimistic that guard Klay Thompson will make his return Sunday, January 9, there are many questions about what the former All-NBA shooting guard may look like when he makes his long-anticipated return.

Injury history

Thompson has spent the last two seasons and some change on the sidelines with both an ACL tear in his left knee back in the 2019 NBA Finals and an Achilles tear in his right ankle shortly before the start of the 2020-21 NBA season.

These are incredibly significant injuries, just one of these are enough to completely derail an NBA career, not to mention having two injuries of this magnitude.

Very few players have gone on to have the same level of success after an ACL or Achilles tear. Kobe Bryant and Derrick Rose are the two most significant players to lose much of their careers to injuries such as these.

Optimism is present

These injuries may be a major hurdle to get past, but they are not impossible. Many players have gone on to reshape their careers after a major injury. Most did so by adding the ability to shoot the three-ball.

In recent years, as science and medicine have developed, more and more players are making full recoveries from injuries of this scale. Great examples would be Kevin Durant, Kristaps Porzingis, Zach Lavine, and Joel Embiid.

Many of these players kept playing at the same level by adding a jump shot to their game to keep themselves of relying more on athleticism, which can be affected by an injury like this.

Klay Thompson, however, is already one of the greatest three-point shooters of all time, many putting him in the same conversation as Ray Allen, Reggie Miller, and teammate Stephen Curry.

Realistic Expectations

Many expect Klay Thompson to return to form and immediately continue where he left off as on of the greatest three and d players of all time, but this is, simply put, unfair to hold Thompson to this level after not playing for over two years.

Realistically, this season will likely see his three-point shot take a few games if not weeks to return to form. Followed by his driving ability, which may never come back.

It is unlikely, however, that his defensive prowess returns. Thompson may become a good defender again, but it likely will not return to the All-Defensive team level that it was in 2019.

Klay Thompson will likely look more similar to Buddy Hield where almost all of his scoring comes from beyond the arc or at the free throw line and not being a great of a defensive player.

Unfortunately, nobody knows what Thompson will look like when he returns, making all predictions purely speculation. Hopefully Klay Thompson returns to be the player he once was, the basketball world is better with him healthy.