Klay Thompson’s journey to another championship with the Golden State Warriors last season was one of the most heartwarming basketball stories ever told.
It seems that overcoming multiple career-altering injuries in back-to-back seasons comes with a price that can’t be bought with the sweet taste of victory.
A mental block is still holding Thompson back from playing the game he loves. According to an ESPN report from Kendra Andrews, Thompson’s past injuries have made it difficult for him to play this summer.
So much so, that Thompson has chosen not to compete in the Warriors’ preseason games in Japan.
"“I didn’t play much this summer. With what I went through the last summer, I was healthy, popping my Achilles, it was really hard for me to get out of it, mentally. It’s hard to explain. It’s a mental block or something”Klay Thompson via ESPN"
Initially, this news might come as a shock. Even after successfully returning to the highest form of basketball and winning a title, Thompson doesn’t feel comfortable playing in the offseason?
It’s not that simple, of course.
Klay Thompson is still working through a mental roadblock that has held him back from playing in the Golden State Warriors preseason.
As Thompson says himself, his body needed the rest.
"“I’m going to face it one day, but this season was so taxing, just coming back. It was hard to win a championship and then play a month later.”"
Bare in mind, Thompson played half of the regular season, strategically resting before playing in all 22 postseason games for the Warriors.
Klay averaged 19.0 points while playing 36 minutes per game in the playoffs.
It makes complete sense that the 32-year-old guard would need a few weeks to get his legs back after such an intense few months.
Not to mention, the grueling recovery he just went through for two years.
Nobody knows Klay’s body better than Klay. If he made the decision to sit out of the Japan trip in order to prepare himself for a long, 82-game season — can anyone blame him?