You’re underrating Klay Thompson, here’s why

Thanks to the departure of Kevin Durant to the Brooklyn Nets and the injuries to Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, the Golden-State Warriors went from being the best team in the NBA to the worst in the space of one season.

Yes, the Toronto Raptors won the title last season against the Warriors, but only because KD and Klay went done with serious injuries. The Warriors would have 3-peated had luck been on their side. 

Because of the absence of their top 3 scorers, other NBA teams have been enacting revenge on the Warriors this year. Usually it was the Warriors blowing teams out by 30 or more points, but then the tables turned and other teams salivated at the prospect of getting their own back against that team that in all likelihood had badly beaten them over the past 4 years.

The Warriors will bounce back next year though. They will have a very draft-pick in this year’s NBA draft, they have Andrew Wiggins, a valuable trade-piece should they need it and the splash-bros will be returning at full strength.

We all know how good Steph Curry is. You don’t become the first-ever unanimous MVP without being just insane, but I want to focus on his partner in crime; Klay Thompson.

Klay tore his ACL in the Finals last season and even with the knowledge that Thompson would miss the entirety of this season the Warriors signed him to a 5-year max contract. This is because Golden-State realizes how valuable Thompson is, and here’s why

Shooting

This first point is the most obvious, but it still needs some further explaining. When Thompson retires he will be remembered as a better shooter than Ray Allen. Even playing 2nd fiddle behind Curry, Klay still manages to hit over 3 3-pointers a game and does it on a 42% clip.

Klay is the 2nd best shooter in the NBA (behind Curry) and will be remembered as the 2nd best shooter of all time when he retires. I doubt he will ever have a season where he shoots below 40% from 3. His form is poetry in motion, lightning-quick and extremely consistent. 

Good shooters are needed on every team regardless of their playstyle. They force defenders away from the rim, meaning more chances for easy shots at the rime. Another reason why they are so valuable is that they don’t need the ball constantly in their hands to be effective. Their mear presence on the floor is enough for defenses to have to react to them.

Thompson is a fantastic spot-up shooter. In his last healthy season (2018/19), no one made more catch-and-shoot shots in the NBA than Thompson. Klay would fit well on every team in NBA history from his shooting alone and every franchise is desperate to find players like him for their roster.

In December of the 2016/17 season, Klay hit 60 points (his career-high) in a game against the Pacers. What made it so impressive was that he only needed 11 dribbles and to hold the ball for a total of 90 seconds to get his 60. Players like James Harden, Kevin Durant and LeBron James need to dribble the ball again and again to get their points, but not Thompson. He just patiently waits for the ball to come to him and he does the rest.

Defense

Klay Thompson is a great defender who can guard 3 positions. At 6’ 7” and 215lbs, he has the size and strength to battle with forwards and the footspeed and guile to contain guards as well. He also really likes to play defense and is usually charged at guarding the opponent’s best wing-player/guard.

Like I said above, NBA teams love good shooters, but they fall over themselves for are so-called ‘3 and D’ players; guys that shoot the 3 well and play great defense. Klay is the best 3 and D player in the league right now which again points to the fact that he would do extremely well on any team in any era.

Intangibles

Player egos are often a huge problem for NBA franchises, especially when it comes to the star players. The NBA is an extremely competitive league so it’s no wonder that its best players often have its biggest egos.

Stars will complain if they aren’t the center of attention on their squads and become very sensitive towards criticism from analysts or journalists. Klay Thompson isn’t the biggest star on the Warrior’s roster. From 2016 to 2019 he wasn’t even the 2nd biggest star when Kevin Durant was in town.

Klay knows that Curry is better than him, but he doesn’t care. Thompson just wants to hit 3s and win games. This humbleness means teams don’t have to worry about locker-room disputes from Thompson, he’s only focused on getting better and getting his team Ws and titles.

Thompson has already proven he’s an elite player and a Hall-of-Famer so far in his career, but for me, he’s done even more. If I was building a 12-man roster from every player in their prime throughout NBA history, I would have Thompson as one of my guys. He fits in with everyone