3 Reasons Klay Thompson is hurting the Golden State Warriors

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 18: Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors warms up prior to Game One against the Dallas Mavericks in the 2022 NBA Playoffs Western Conference Finals at Chase Center on May 18, 2022 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 Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 18: Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors warms up prior to Game One against the Dallas Mavericks in the 2022 NBA Playoffs Western Conference Finals at Chase Center on May 18, 2022 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 Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
(Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) /

Warriors’ defense struggles with Klay

One of the most strange trends to emerge in the postseason is the Warriors’ steep drop-off on defense with Klay Thompson on the floor. Once the Warriors’ second-best defender, Klay’s impact has lessened.

We can blame his two knee injuries for this. After all, he is 32 years old and still being tasked with guarding opposing perimeter threats. The eye test tells me he has done a respectable job but the advanced analytics suggest otherwise.

Thompson’s shot selection is likely a bigger factor in this. The offense has stalled with him shooting relentlessly from deep and the long rebounds from missed 3-pointers make it easier for opponents to attack the Warriors before setting up their defense.

Klay is without a doubt an all-time great shooter and he’s still making close to 40% of his 3-point attempts this postseason. Yet, it’s been a wildly inconsistent stretch from Klay with games where he shoots 0-for-7 followed up by miraculous 8-of-14 nights from deep.

How good a team is on offense is often an underrated indicator of how they play defense. It’s easy to fall into a slump defensively when the offense isn’t juicing up your team’s energy.

However, as we will see in the next slide, Thompson is not solely to blame for this.