The Golden State Warriors have been without Klay Thompson for two full seasons. While that's reason enough to want him back on the court as soon as possible, it's an even bigger argument to take their sweet time with their sweet-shooting All-Star.

That seems to be the plan, according to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne. The Warriors are reportedly not going to have Klay Thompson back to start the season. In fact, it seems likely he'll be missing more than two full months before getting back on the court.

“He's doing well in his recovery, but the Warriors are targeting that Christmas Day game against the Suns for his return,” Shelburne said on The Jump. “He could come back a little bit before that, but in terms of getting his conditioning right, they're targeting that Christmas Day game against the Suns. I know that sounds a little late to people, but he was injured on Nov. 18, so this is 13 months from an Achilles injury.”

It's going to be a merry Christmas indeed for Golden State. Stephen Curry and Warriors open the season against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on October 19, followed by their home opener on the 21st against the Clippers.