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The Golden State Warriors haven't found it easy at all to defend the championship they shed blood and tears for. A 122-115 defeat to the Sacramento Kings that knocked the Warriors to 5-8 on the season, keeping them winless (0-7) on the road thus far. And at the heart of the reigning champion's struggles is the uncharacteristic inability of ballyhooed sharpshooter Klay Thompson to put the ball into the hoop from long range.
Against the Kings, Thompson shot below 40 percent from the field (6-16, 37.5 percent) yet again, although he did five hit triples on 13 attempts. On the season, the 32-year old shooting guard is shooting 35.1 percent from the field overall, way below his career averages, and his true shooting percentage (which factors in three-point and free-throw efficiency) is at a dismal 46.7 percent, the third-worst among qualified players.
Simply put, Klay Thompson has to play better for the Warriors to snap out of their funk, and Thompson himself knows just how high the level he holds himself at is. Posting on his Instagram story, Thompson fired a message to his doubters, saying that it's only a matter of time before he resembles the Splash Brother he's been over the years.
“My belief is stronger than your doubt 🙃 I PROMISE you it’s coming. And when it does the flood gates will open ☔️,” Thompson wrote.
Klay Thompson just posted this message on his Instagram story: “My belief is stronger than your doubt 🙃 I PROMISE you it’s coming. And when it does the flood gates will open ☔️”
😤😤😤 #dubnation pic.twitter.com/L4D3gMEbLk— Kylen Mills (@KylenMills) November 14, 2022
Thompson's level of play when he returned from his lengthy injury layoff last season was promising, even if his shooting percentages dipped from his pre-injury numbers. He was also able to contribute at a high level en route to the Warriors' fourth championship ring over the past decade, and it seemed as if the further he went from his injury-marred past, the more he'd resemble the five-time All-Star he was in years past. Alas, it just hasn't worked out for him this season.
Nonetheless, Klay Thompson is too talented to count out, even as the hullabaloo surrounding him being washed-up grows louder the more he puts up dreadful shooting nights. Shooters shoot, and there's just too much history of Thompson being one of the league's best marksmen to give Warriors fans hope that this stretch of play is a mere outlier rather than his new norm.
