Klay Thompson has been relegated to a bench role with the Golden State Warriors, but his teammate Kevon Looney and Steve Kerr have his back after the recent change. Looney said that having someone like Thompson buy into that type of role will only help the Warriors, and spoke on how he feels about the veteran.

“We all care about him. We all want him to succeed. We all want him to be great,” Kevon Looney said, via Sam Amick of The Athletic. “So when he's not doing well or his energy's not great, it kind of weighs on everybody else. He knows that. Steve talked to him about that (in early January), and I think he's been great for the last 20, 30 games. I think that kind of changed our season, changed the way that we've been playing.”

Steve Kerr raved about Klay Thompson's mindset and said it has improved in recent weeks. He went on to say that the biggest thing for the Warriors is to convince Thompson that he is still a great and valued player, despite coming off of the bench.

“The thing that we keep trying to convince him of is he's still a hell of a player,” Kerr said, via Amick. “But he's at his best when he's not pressing and he's not stressed out (or) worried about trying to be the guy he was six years ago. I think coming off the bench has maybe helped in that regard. I just notice he's more relaxed. His approach, his leadership in the locker room, it feels different, and I think he's starting to get more comfortable with the role but also just kind of the bigger picture stuff that has been bothering him.”

The Warriors sit at 29-27, good for 10th in the Western Conference with a game coming tonight on the road against the Washington Wizards.