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Golden State Warriors veteran primed for bounce back after “fantastic offseason”

By Peter O'Keefe

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JUNE 16: Draymond Green #23, Klay Thompson #11 and Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors laugh together after defeating the Boston Celtics 103-90 in Game Six of the 2022 NBA Finals at TD Garden on June 16, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. 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 Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JUNE 16: Draymond Green #23, Klay Thompson #11 and Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors laugh together after defeating the Boston Celtics 103-90 in Game Six of the 2022 NBA Finals at TD Garden on June 16, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. 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 Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) /
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Entering a contract year, it’s a big season for Klay Thompson beyond the aspirations of adding a fifth NBA championship to his resumé with the Golden State Warriors.

Thompson had a disastrous ending to last season, averaging just 10.5 points on 25% shooting over his last four appearances as the Warriors were defeated in six games by the Los Angeles Lakers in the second-round of the playoffs.

Golden State Warriors veteran Klay Thompson is primed for a major bounceback after the disappointment of the 2023 playoffs.

Thompson looked exhausted by the end of the playoffs, an unsurprising outcome given it was his first full season back from two devastating leg injuries. It was also born from his lack of preparation last offseason when the 33-year-old had what he described as a ‘mental block’.

Having previously torn his achilles in an off-season workout in 2020, Thompson admitted “I didn’t play a lot” after Golden State’s championship victory over the Boston Celtics last year.

As a result, Thompson was underprepared for training camp last season and missed the entirety of Golden State’s preseason outings. He returned on opening night but was clearly rusty, averaging just 12.3 points on 34.6% shooting in his first six games.

Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors goes up for a shot past D’Angelo Russell and Jaylen Nowell of the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second-quarter of the game at Target Center on February 01, 2023. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors goes up for a shot past D’Angelo Russell and Jaylen Nowell of the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second-quarter of the game at Target Center on February 01, 2023. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) /

Fortunately for the Warriors, the sharpshooter should be ready to hit the ground running this season. Speaking on his podcast recently, ESPN’s Zach Lowe detailed his belief that Thompson has had a “fantastic offseason”.

"“I’ve heard Klay has had a fantastic offseason in terms of his workouts and his conditioning, particularly compared to the last offseason where he was coming off injury”, Lowe said."

Lowe also went on to classify Thompson as a major wildcard for the Warriors in their hopes of returning to the podium with the Larry O’Brien trophy in 2024. Further removed from his injuries and with a solid offseason base on which to surge from, the five-time All-Star could be primed to return to somewhere near his best.

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Despite his poor start and disappointing finish to the season, Thompson still proved himself one of the league’s most dangerous shooting threats in averaging 21.9 points on 41.2% from beyond the arc in 2022-23.

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