Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson is not being disrespected or tossed to the side, but it's easy to forget a player's capabilities when they're playing alongside Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry. And this season Thompson is reminding people why he's the most underrated star in the NBA.
The Warriors' season has been dominated by a plethora of headlines. Whether it be the topic of Durant's upcoming free agency, a supposed encounter between him and Draymond Green where the soon-to-be free agent was challenged about his future, or the question of whether the Warriors' dynasty is coming to an end, the 2018-19 season has been an eventful period of time in the Bay Area. Throughout it all, the Warriors are still 35-14 and the one seed in the Western Conference.
Thompson is putting together another All-Star caliber season. He is currently averaging 21.8 points per game on 46.2 percent shooting from the field. Whether it be sinking outside jump shots, playing in isolation, attacking the rack, or playing swarming on-ball defense, Thompson has continued to be a premier two-way player.
Ironically, he's shooting a career-worse 38.0 percent from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, he's put together some dazzling displays of offense in January. He has recorded two 40-plus point games (one on January 8th against the New York Knicks, the other on January 21st on the road against the Los Angeles Lakers), as well as a 52-point performance in just 27 minutes on the road against the Chicago Bulls on October 29th. He has shown glimpses of the dangerous efficient wing of years past.
It's not to say that Thompson has been in hiding since Durant's arrival, but the reality is that the old Splash Brother duo of him and Curry is no longer the featured element of head coach Steve Kerr's rotation. That has become the duo of Durant and Curry.
Plus, with perennial All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins now healthy, there's debate as to how he's going to affect their aspirations of winning the NBA Finals for the fourth time in the last five years. And who could just forget the encounter between Durant and Green?
Think about this: Thompson has averaged 20-plus points per game in each of the last three seasons as the Warriors' number three scorer; that's astonishing. Ray Allen never averaged that amount behind Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett with the Boston Celtics. Chris Bosh never did that behind LeBron James and Dwyane Wade with the Miami Heat. Kevin Love also never did it behind James and Kyrie Irving with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
If he went elsewhere and served as the number one, or even two scoring option, Thompson would be in the conversation for being the best shooting guard in the NBA.
Now, that's not to take anything away from James Harden, or the scoring clinic he has put on this season. In fact, he's established himself as the best all-around scorer in the NBA. But Thompson is a more complete player based on his ability to play at a high level on that end while also playing lockdown defense — though Harden's defense has improved. You could argue that Thompson wouldn't be as productive elsewhere as the primary scoring option because he wouldn't have Curry, Durant, and Cousins on the floor to attract attention. At the same time, before Durant and Cousins arrived, Thompson was already an elite shooter and scorer.
In the 2015-16 season — which was the season before Durant's arrival — Thompson averaged 22.1 points per game. In the postseason, he was a stone-cold killer, averaging 24.3 points per game on 42.4 percent shooting from beyond the arc. He was one of the most dangerous scorers of the NBA playoffs. There was a case to be made for him being the best two-way wing not named LeBron James in the NBA at that point in time.
Thompson can create his own shot. In Golden State, that aspect of his game isn't on display often because he's relied on to serve as a sniper from the perimeter and, in general, isn't as heavily relied on for scoring as he was pre-Durant — yet he's still producing at a high level.
If push came to shove and Thompson had to man a larger role in the Warriors offense, he could do so with ease. He's a proven go-to scorer who can stretch the floor, serve as a spot-up shooter, take defenders off the dribble, and take attention off his teammates. He's one of the most flexible players in the sport when it concerns the role he's asked to embark on. He thrives as the number three scoring option, was electric as the number two alongside Curry before Durant's arrival, and steps up in a big way when injuries hit the Warriors.
If you excluded Thompson from the Warriors roster, they would still be the favorites to, at the very least, win the West based on having four other All-Stars in place. While some might say that means Thompson's production is overrated, the Warriors would be in the same situation if they lost any of their other All-Stars. They've been without Curry in the past for extended periods of time and haven't skipped a beat. It's not an indictment on Curry, it just speaks to the Warriors star depth.
Thompson is a free agent after this season, but it's a situation that has fallen in prominence to Durant's free agency and understandably so. Durant's departure would terminate the Warriors' persona as being the NBA's most formidable roster. While the expectation appears to be that Thompson will re-sign with the Warriors this summer, nothing is concrete until he actually does so. Losing the homegrown product would be a devastating blow to the Warriors' championship aspirations past this season, especially if Durant heads elsewhere.
Thompson is the most impactful, non-attention grabbing player in the NBA. He's not flashy or a walking highlight reel. Instead, he plays at a high level on both ends, doesn't complain about his role, and is capable of going off offensively on any given night. Thompson's scoring outbursts and production, in general, this season is a reminder of how talented a player he is.
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