Warriors’ show clear need for Klay Thompson’s playmaking
On Wednesday, the Golden State Warriors put up a season-low 82 points. They were down just 3 heading into the fourth quarter on a night in which the Dallas Mavericks retired the great Dirk Nowitzki‘s number. They eventually lost 99-82.
For the second straight night, two-time MVP guard Stephen Curry shot under 25% from the field. It’s the first time this season the typically-efficient guard has struggled this much for two straight games. He was 5-for-24 from the field.
The Warriors lived or died by the three on Wednesday, and their play showed exactly why the return of Klay Thompson couldn’t come at a better time.
One takeaway from their 17-point loss is that Klay Thompson’s return cannot come soon enough. Thompson, a five-time All-Star guard, has missed the last two and a half seasons with two debilitating injuries.
To kick his bad luck off, Thompson tore his ACL after attempting a dunk on then-Raptor Danny Green in the 2019 NBA Finals, a series the Warriors went on to lose. While rehabbing to get back on the court, Thompson, prior to the 2020-2021 season, tore his Achilles.
He’s now primed for a return, one projected for Sunday. The Warriors are 2-2 over their last 4 and have struggled to get much going offensively in that span. Their two lowest-scoring games of the season have come in their last 4.
It’s not just that they’re struggling to score, but they’re struggling to do what Golden State typically does best — shoot. Golden State shot just 18% from three-point land against the Mavericks. This wasn’t their only poor shooting performance as of late.
The Warriors have the best record in the NBA (tied with the Phoenix Suns), but over their last 4, they’ve, instead of nearing their season average of 14.6 triples, the second-most threes in the league, they’ve hit the 20th-most triples.
Golden State is living or dying by the three, and Thompson will help them live instead of die.
In each of Thompson’s eight seasons in the NBA, he’s done what many cannot. Thompson has shot over 40% in each season. In his last three healthy seasons, Thompson hit over 3 triples per game.
That type of volume shooting and efficiency is bound to help the Warriors, and to make things even better, from what fans have seen, the touch is still there. Thompson drilled 24 straight threes in practice while returning to competitive condition.
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Thompson, when he gets on the court, is going to give the Warriors a huge boost, one they desperately need.