Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson has gone through the wringer over the last few years. After tearing his ACL and rupturing his Achilles, the sharpshooter missed two full seasons before returning in 2021-22 and averaging an impressive 20.2 points on 38% shooting from downtown in 32 games. But, that hasn't stopped the critics from getting on Klay's back in 2022-23 due to his early season struggles.
One of his biggest haters has been Charles Barkley, the Hall of Famer and outspoken TNT analyst. While Thompson doesn't typically let the doubters get to him, he does believe people should be cutting him slack. After all, he helped the Dubs win a title after two years removed from the league.
“Yeah, that’s true, but I feel like I deserve more credit for battling through all that injury s–t,” Klay Thompson told B/R. “I helped a team win a championship last year and people still want to discredit what you do.
“You know what I’ve learned about that? You just can’t please everybody. But for myself individually, it’s about rediscovering that form of efficiency and that two-way play that made me great. And I feel like I'm well on my way there.”
Thompson truly suffered two of the scariest injuries in all of professional sports. He went through hundreds of hours of rehab to just get his body and mind right. Barkley has said time and time again that Klay isn't the same player of the past. Well, of course, he's not. The veteran is still finding his way back.
Sure, he is averaging just 14.7 points on 33% shooting, but Klay is starting to feel comfortable. Shots just aren't landing at the rate he'd like yet. It'll come. What's most important is he is seeing progress in his game, even if the numbers aren't showing it right now.
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