Reflecting on Klay Thompson as a Warrior: 54 points in injury return

GIVE HIM THE MAX!

As tensions reach a fever pitch in Dub Nation about the potential departure of beloved franchise cornerstone Klay Thompson in free agency, there’s a lot to remember about his greatness as a Golden State Warrior.

Today I want to take the time to go through some of my favorite Killa Klay moments, with commentary from sports outlets surrounding the historic exploits of one of the greatest players in NBA history.

In this article, let’s reflect on Klay coming back from devastating ACL and Achilles injuries to drop 54 in a double-overtime thriller against the Atlanta Hawks.

Golden State of Mind

It’s been alarming to see the amount of times Klay Thompson has been written off this season.

In a sense, you can’t blame people for expressing even an ounce of doubt. Thompson clearly hasn’t been the same two-way stalwart he was prior to his debilitating lower-leg injuries that sidelined him for two years. The combination of bad health luck and aging into his thirties isn’t exactly a bullish indicator of him returning to his pre-injury form.

But to see some people expressing outright vitriol — i.e., wanting Thompson to be traded, wanting him off “their” team, etc. — isn’t exactly the kind of thing anyone wants to read or hear. Fandom can be very much a “heat-of-the-moment” type of experience, but I would’ve assumed Thompson has compiled enough equity and clout to at least be given the benefit of the doubt.

Arguably nothing beats the spectacle of watching a Klay Thompson heater. When his hands are as hot as freshly spewed volcanic lava, feeding the hot hand is often the best course of action.

The Warriors fed him during the moments that mattered — so much so that even for someone who isn’t an excellent isolation scorer, it simply did not matter. Thompson delivered and became the man the Warriors needed him to be.

ESPN

Thompson shot 21 for 39 and his 10 3-pointers matched a season high — and his 54 were six off his career-best scoring outing of 60 accomplished in three quarters on Dec. 5, 2016.

Thompson recently began ignoring social media, slowing things down to be more patient and has found his form from back in 2019 before surgeries on his left knee and right Achilles that sidelined him more than 2 1/2 years.

He is nearing the first anniversary of his return to the court, on Jan. 9.

“It’s better than good, amazing,” he said. “Those moments where you have the ball with the game on the line down the stretch and your teammates trust you, those are what you really live for as a competitor, as a basketball player. It was hard to see those at times during the rehab process.”

The Source Sports

“It’s a huge accomplishment for me,” Thompson said. “There were some hard days for me when I didn’t know that this would be possible in real time. I am just going to embrace the heck out of it.”

“When you’re as competitive as he is, when you’re as good as he is, it’s tough sometimes,” Warriors forward Draymond Green said to ESPN. “For two years, everybody is doubting you. That same fire toward that doubt is what made you Klay Thompson … you don’t just lose that. That is embedded in you. It’s good to see him settle down. He’s not chasing it anymore, and it’s falling right in his lap. When you are that good, that’s usually what happens.”