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Sacrifices will have to be made in Oakland next season.
One of the best offenses of all-time just added Kevin Durant. The Warriors will need to figure out the best way to integrate KD. Not a bad problem to have.
It’s a good sign for the Warriors that players like Klay Thompson are already making statements like this.
Via ESPN’s Ethan Sherwood Strauss:
“I look at a guy like Manu Ginobili who came off the bench almost his entire career,” Thompson said. “Never averaged more than 20 points a game, but he’s a four-time champion, you know? He could have easily been on another team and averaged 25 a game, but he sacrificed to win, and that’s what I expect to do next year. I don’t care about averaging 25 or even 20. I just want to finish it out and get back to the Finals and enjoy that ride.”
Thompson could maybe average close to 30 if he had his own team. He got up to a career-best 22.1 a night last season.
Now, one of the best scorers ever is joining a team that already features Steph Curry, who led the league with 30.1 points per game last season. Thompson will now be the third option, which will put him in a tougher spot to contribute.
Thompson, being a pure scorer in the way that he is, should make the transition seamlessly. Obviously a jump shooter first, Thompson can act as the beneficiary of the creation of Curry, KD, and Draymond Green, and still maybe get 20 a night from that alone. Disappearing for stretches was a problem for Thompson in his younger years, but he’s improved quite a bit in that department.
The only adjustment period for the Warriors next season will be figuring out how much of the pie Steph, KD, and Klay get. It will vary on a night-to-night basis, but considering that they’re all really good spot-up shooters, none of them should end up getting freezed out for long periods.
Understanding the situation and a willingness to sacrifice will be key for Thompson, and it looks like he’s already on board with this.
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