A rough preseason hasn't got much better for Golden State Warriors legend Klay Thompson, with the veteran sharpshooter and the Miami Heat proving one of the disappointments of the first week of NBA season.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra may quickly run out of patience with Thompson, having been part of a starting five that appears to need a change following an 0-3 start to the season.
Klay Thompson risks quickly wearing out Heat's patience
Miami have stuck with Thompson in the starting lineup despite the 36-year-old shooting 26.9% from the floor and 15% from 3-point range during preseason. Things are technically trending in the right direction, but not by much as he still sits at an underwhelming 34.5% from the floor and 34.6% from 3-point range through three games.
The bigger issue for the Heat is actually on the defensive end of the floor where they rank 27th, only ahead of the Utah Jazz, Warriors and Phoenix Suns. The starting lineup, in particular, has been awful, particularly given they were supposed to be a high level defense with Davion Mitchell and another former Warrior champion, Andrew Wiggins, at the point-of-attack, along with a frontcourt of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo.
Instead, Wiggins has as extraordinarily poor 141.5 defensive rating, and Thompson isn't too far behind at 134.9. They also subsequently have the two worst net ratings on the team. It's only early days sure, but the Heat's starting lineup has been diabolically bad and may need a shakeup sooner rather than later.
This was a team many believed would rise back into championship contention this season, with expectations surging on the back of Antetokounmpo's blockbuster arrival and Thompson's later in the summer after a buyout with the Dallas Mavericks.
Klay Thompson may find himself removed from starting lineup
If Spoelstra and the Heat are to make a change, Thompson would have to be the one under the most pressure given his own personal form and the stature of the other four starters alongside him. Clearly Antetokounmpo and Adebayo are going nowhere, nor Wiggins who Miami just extended during the offseason. You could argue they need to upgrade from Mitchell at the point guard spot, but they don't currently have that option on their roster.
Could we see Pelle Larsson or Tim Hardaway Jr. inserted in place of Thompson? Neither of the two reserves are shooting the ball well either, but they do have a substantially better net rating than what Thompson currently possesses.
There might still be time for Thompson and the starting lineup to turn it around, but the four-time champion isn't going to get the same level of patience that he once got from Steve Kerr and the Warriors during his prime years.
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