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One of the big questions surrounding the Warriors this season involves sacrifice.
The addition of Kevin Durant will mean diminished roles for some players. One guy that is often brought up regarding this is Klay Thompson.
Thompson has been the number two option behind Steph Curry for the past few seasons, and hr emerged as one of the best shooting guards in the NBA. Next season presents a new challenge for him, as Klay will try to integrate himself into an offense that now includes another all-time great scorer.
Thompson had this to say recently about the acquisition of Durant:
“I think (going after Durant was) a no-brainer man, just because it’s a once-in-a-generation kind of talent,” Thompson told USA TODAY Sports. “It’s history. There have never been two MVPs … under 30 (years old) on the same team, so it was a no-brainer just because he’s such a great talent and he’d be such a pleasure to play with. Where we were at (last season), it’s hard to imagine going to that level (again). But he’s the type of guy who could take us there.”
No one expects the Warriors to win 73 games again, but if anyone can help them get close to it, it's Kevin Durant. If players like Thompson don't have much of a drop-off in terms of production, the team might be knocking on the door of 70 again.
The good news for Thompson is a lot of his scoring comes from being the beneficiary of others creating. Durant will just be another creator that helps Thompson get more looks.
Thompson will of course also be used at the start of the second and fourth quarters more with bench units, so he can have the offense run through him for stretches.
Thompson and Durant are getting a chance to play together this summer for Team USA in the Rio Olympics. Draymond Green is also on the team. The time in Rio may go a long way in accelerating the process for the Warriors to build chemistry next season.
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