Subscribe
Follow Us
With Klay Thompson set to make his highly anticipated return to the court Sunday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers, things are about to get even better for the red hot Golden State Warriors. Even though they've cooled off some over the past few games, there's no denying that they'll bounce back in a major way against a young and dynamic Cavs squad that's eager to ruin Klay's homecoming game.
As an elite scorer and well-rounded defender, Thompson's timing couldn't be any better and he'll definitely add quality depth for them on both ends of the floor. So without further ado, let's now discuss the three ways Thompson's return to the court changes the Warriors and will make them unstoppable.
Klay will lessen Stephen Curry's scoring load
When fully healthy, Curry and Thompson are undisputed as the greatest scoring backcourt in NBA history, and they've definitely got the championship experience and hardware to prove it. Over the past couple seasons, Steph Curry has been playing lights out and reached a ton of major milestones with his innate ability to score from anywhere on the court.
Unfortunately, even with the emergence of Jordan Poole, Andrew Wiggins, Damian Lee, and Juan Toscano-Anderson, the Warriors haven't had consistently great scoring outside of Curry. Granted they've all played well and been excellent for the Dubs on both ends of the court, but with Thompson's return to the floor, they're now getting another seasoned vet who can knock down some clutch shots for them when the game's on the line.
This in-turn will take a ton of the scoring pressure off of Curry and allow him to create more opportunities for their other teammates. With Curry seeing more double and triple teams as the season wears on, the return of Thompson is unquestionably huge for Golden State and will take their offense to the next level with his electric scoring which will add even more firepower to their top-notch offensive unit.
Thompson will improve Golden State's perimeter defense
Article Continues Below
As one of the best two-way players the game's ever seen, Thompson's perimeter defense will be a major asset to the Warriors who already possess one of the league's highest defensive ratings. An additional set of active hands to disrupt the passing lanes and take the opposing team's best perimeter scorer out of their element definitely doesn't hurt have around either.
After all, the root of Golden State's success is their aggressive lockdown defense that leads to fast break opportunities and easy looks at the basket. With the return of Thompson, the Dubs will improve their perimeter defense and become an even bigger menace on that end of the floor.
The Warriors will have another veteran leader to rely upon
It cannot be stated enough that Thompson's value to this team is irreplaceable and that is proven with his clutch scoring and playmaking, elite defense, and late-game awareness that's led to countless wins for the Dubs. Between Steph, Draymond Green, and Andre Iguodala, the Warriors already possess a ton of veteran leadership, and with Klay's return they'll be getting even more.
His experience and championship pedigree will be a huge plus in the continued growth and development of their young core that's already blossoming nicely and starting to mesh well on the court. Now that Thompson has returned to the rotation, their younger players will greatly benefit learning from his winning mentality and stellar play on both ends of the court.
