Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson is finally back on the court after more than two years removed from the NBA after suffering an ACL injury and an Achilles tear. But in Klay's eyes, he believes the latter could've been prevented.

Thompson recently sat down with The Athletic's Anthony Slater and revealed the crucial mistake he made after recovering from the knee injury. Essentially, the Warriors sharpshooter was a bit too heavy and believes that played a part in the eventual Achilles injury:

“The first time around I came back even bouncier,” Thompson promises. “I came back strong, feeling great.”

But there are different stages to the most careful of recovery approaches. Thompson’s joint had healed. The pandemic had shut down the Warriors’ facility. Thompson was in Los Angeles. Everybody who saw him in those open runs will tell you how great he looked. So he just kept playing, unsupervised and unconcerned about biomechanics that could trigger chain reactions.

“I wasn’t at playing weight,” Thompson said. “I was really strong. I was doing a lot of lifting, strengthening my knee. But I just missed the game so much at that time and I was cleared to play 5-on-5. But I’m not sure if it was the right move.”

Whether that decision to go full throttle at a heavier weight played a part or not, the Warriors guard has tried to just put it in the rearview and move on:

“It might’ve been costly,” Thompson said. “I don’t know. I try not to think about it too much. But it just, uh, it’s something I learned from. I’m not in my early 20s anymore, where I can just play all offseason. That’s what I was trying to do. Going forward, I’m not going to do that. I’m going to save it for the season.”

That Achilles injury was definitely a game-changer for Thompson's career. After all, he's now into his 30's and underwent two major surgeries. Klay noted he usually plays at around 216-220 pounds. During this time, he was more around 227.

Nevertheless, the Warriors will just be happy he's finally healthy and able to contribute. The veteran is averaging 17.1 points, 3.8 boards, and 3.1 assists in 16 games so far. He's also shooting 37% from three-point land.

We all live and learn from our mistakes. Klay Thompson, unfortunately, learned the hard way in this situation.