The floodgates ultimately didn't open the way Klay Thompson promises they will. Still, after his encouraging performance in the Golden State Warriors' 111-101 win over the New York Knicks on Friday, there's reason to believe Thompson's early-season struggles will soon subside for good.
Thompson scored 20 points in his team's wire-to-wire victory, going 8-of-16 from the field to hit at least 50% his shots for the first time in 2022-23.
Here's what to know from the Warriors' much-needed win over the Knicks, including Klay Thompson finally starting to settle in.https://t.co/MAiVq7N076
— Warriors Nation (@WarriorNationCP) November 19, 2022
Over half his points came in the first quarter, when Thompson drained three catch-and-shoot triples and leaked out in transition for an easy layup. His fourth and final tthree came with just over four minutes left, helping squash the Knicks' momentum to put the Warriors up by 13 points.
Solid as his jumper was against New York, though, what stood out most for Thompson on Friday night was the concerted effort he made to let the game come to him from the opening tip.
“Much more patient early, and it paid off for him—paid off for our team, too,” Kerr said of Thompson after the game. “It seemed like every time Klay just made an extra pass, the ball started to move and then we got an open shot. We ended up with 32 assists. It started with early on, Klay taking a more patient approach. I thought he was great, and then the game rewarded him. He made some big shots down the stretch. I just thought the quality of his attempts was much better tonight.”
Those comments are basically the inverse of Kerr's assessment of Thompson following Golden State's dispiriting loss to the Phoenix Suns. Clearly, Thompson took constructive criticism offered by Kerr and Stephen Curry to heart, regularly making the extra pass to keep the offense churning instead of trying to shoot his way out of a slump.
As Dub Nation calls for Jordan Poole to start, beat reporter @armstrongwinter explains why Klay Thompson must remain in the opening five—and make major changes to his game.https://t.co/cf9gW1ZqTr
— Warriors Nation (@WarriorNationCP) November 17, 2022
The result wasn't just Thompson's best game of the season, but a heartening overall offensive performance for Golden State.
The Warriors' 32 assists was their third-best total of the season, and would've been higher if they drained more open looks from beyond the arc. They raced the ball up the floor in transition and kept it pinging in the halfcourt, consistently passing up good shots for great ones.
Thompson isn't all the way back, and neither is Golden State. But any sign of palpable progress is cause for optimism given the core of this team's track record, not to mention Thompson's well-earned status as, bare minimum, a top-five shooter ever.
As long as he and the Warriors keep moving the ball, putting the team's best interest ahead of personal goals, don't be surprised going forward when Klay Thompson eventually plays like it.
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