Golden State Warriors’ sharpshooter Klay Thompson has shared an optimistic message to his Instagram story on Sunday night, having had another rough shooting night against the Sacramento Kings.
The four-time champion did have five threes and 17 points in the contest, although it took him 13 three-point attempts and 16 shots overall. His back-to-back triples gave the Warriors a six-point lead early in the third quarter, but they folded late in the 122-115 loss.
Klay Thompson’s self-confidence has never wavered through a tough stretch, but is that half the problem for he and the Golden State Warriors?
Thompson reiterated his self-belief in a clear statement to his doubters following the game, also promising fans that his slow start to the season would shortly turnaround.
Klay Thompson just posted this message on his Instagram story: “My belief is stronger than your doubt 🙃 I PROMISE you it’s coming. And when it does the flood gates will open ☔️”
— Kylen Mills (@KylenMills) November 14, 2022
😤😤😤 #dubnation pic.twitter.com/L4D3gMEbLk
Thompson is shooting 33% from deep this season and just 35.1% from the field overall. He’s been one of several underperforming Warriors players, with the reigning NBA champions falling to a 5-8 record in one of the surprises of the NBA season to date.
But despite his and the team’s struggles, Thompson appears adamant that the only way to push through it is by shooting even more. The 32-year-old is averaging a career-high in three-point attempts at 9.6 per game — not a great sign when you’re also shooting a career-low percentage.
At what point does the self-belief border on arrogance and nothing more than a complete detriment to the team’s offense? Thompson is in the top handful of elite three-point shooters throughout NBA history which, in combination with his four championships, gives him an extraordinary amount of equity and trust among the Warriors fanbase.
He needs every bit of that at the moment — fans are now holding their breath every time he takes a jumpshot, rather than having the full-blown confidence that’s been a constant of his career for the last decade.
To be fair to Thompson, he’s had stretches of struggles like this before, even before his two devastating injuries. Each and every time he bounced back, more often than not shooting over 40% from three on the season.
The other positive for him is that the starting lineup, regardless of his shooting issues, is still remaining reasonably dominant. It’s perhaps this reason, above all else, that will give him the opportunity to orchestrate his words into existence.