Klay Thompson barely mustered his fourth straight 20-point-per-game season after head coach Steve Kerr left him in the last game of the year for a few extra minutes, but his goals remain heftier than the scoring punch he provides the team with — namely, more efficiency.
According to Mark Medina of the San Jose Mercury News, Thompson reiterated his interest in joining teammates Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant in the very exclusive 50-40-90 club, requiring the shooting guard to nail 50 percent of his shots from the field, 40 percent from deep, and 90 percent from the foul line.
Thompson shot career highs from the field (48.8 percent) and from beyond the arc (44 percent), but he shot the second-fewest amount of free throws of any season of his career (98), resulting in his second-worst mark at 83.7 percent.
Both Curry and Durant reached the 50-40-90 club during the best season of their careers, and it would likely bode as Thompson's best as well if he can master his accuracy from all spots on the floor. Yet the marksman won't set any straight-away goals for this upcoming season besides another championship ring.
Article Continues Below“Just be consistent. I don’t get set on All-NBA or All-Defense,” said Thompson. “I would like to make an All-Defensive team one day. But I don’t set any of those goals. I just play hard every night and enjoy the game. It’ll come. I believe I’m that talented. I just want to stay consistent and have fun. If I do the same thing last year with the same result, I’ll take that every year.”
Thompson isn't short of challenges, though, as his father, Mychal, has encouraged him to average eight free-throw attempts per game after averaging a mere 2.3 through his first seven NBA seasons (a career-worst 1.3 attempts last year).
While the jump from one to eight per game is quite the hefty proposition, it would surely help Thompson stay in rhythm more often, rather than depending solely on his 3-point prowess to carry him through a game.