Klay Thompson on latest benching in Warriors win – ‘It’s really hard’

NEW YORK — After warriors of the golden state star Klay Thompson was left out of the final lineup for the second time in three games in Monday’s 109-98 win over the Brooklyn networksthe future Hall of Famer admitted it’s been “very difficult” dealing with some of the games’ biggest moments from the sideline.

“Yes,” Thompson said, when asked if his change in role has been an adjustment. “Are you kidding me? Going from, you know, one of the best players… it’s hard for anyone.

“I’ll be honest with you. It’s very difficult.”

Thompson, who finished 4 of 9 from the field, including 0 of 3 from behind the 3-point arc, left the game in favor of the point guard. Moses Moody with 7:19 left and then spent the rest of the game glued to the bench. He watched Warriors coach Steve Kerr opt to play. Gui Santos (a rookie who had played a total of 61 minutes in eight NBA games before Monday night) down the stretch in place of Thompson.

This came on the heels of Kerr doing the same in Golden State’s win over Memphis on Friday, before closing out Thompson in Saturday’s loss after Andrew Wiggins He injured his ankle late in the first half and did not return.

Wiggins remained out Monday due to that ankle injury. But instead of following Thompson down the stretch, Kerr opted for Santos alongside the youngsters. Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemskias well as pillars Stephen Curry — who led Golden State with 29 points in the win at Barclays Center — and Draymon Green.

Kerr said he stuck with that group because they were “competing and making plays and they had the momentum,” and later admitted it’s been a tough season for Thompson.

“It’s okay,” Kerr said. “This is a season that has had a lot of ups and downs. It’s not easy for a guy who’s been so good and a Hall of Fame player to deal with injuries and… it’s never easy for any player to get older. [But] “He’s mentally strong.”

Thompson, who turns 34 on Thursday, tore his ACL in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals and then tore his Achilles tendon a year later, costing him all of the 2019-20 seasons and 2020-21.

He returned to averaging 20.4 points to help Golden State win the 2022 NBA title and then averaged 21.9 points and shot 41% from 3-point range last season when the Warriors finally lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round of the playoffs.

But Thompson’s numbers are down this season. He is averaging 17.1 points, his lowest average since his second NBA season, and shooting the worst of his career at 41.5% from the field and 37.1% from 3-point range. . Meanwhile, young players like Podziemski, Kuminga and Moody have taken steps forward, making Thompson’s role an ever-present storyline.

“I feel really good physically,” Thompson said at his locker after the game. “Mentally, it’s probably a little different story. But that’s life, huh?”

Green then interrupted Thompson’s scrum and announced that he had once been benched for an NBA Finals game, saying, “So who cares?”

To his credit, Thompson repeatedly said he was happy for his young teammates, crediting both Kuminga (28 points) and Podziemski for how they played, and went out of his way to praise Santos, who finished with 9 points, 5 rebounds and was a team-best plus 13 in 18 minutes.

“I’ve accepted it,” Thompson said. “I might be mad, but I’m honestly happy for these kids. Yeah. We won. And it’s hard to get wins in this league.

“[Santos] he played very hard. I’m happy for Gui. I mean, amazing. He is in [G League]Coming here and making an impact like that? Incredible.”

Santos, a 21-year-old Brazilian rookie who was the 55th pick in the 2022 NBA draft, has now played more minutes in the Warriors’ last three games (44) than in the Warriors’ first 54 this season (35). Kerr said he was “unbelievable” in Monday’s win.

“Everyone here always says to be prepared for when you have the opportunity to be on the court and play,” Santos said. “So when I saw that I had a couple of minutes on the court, I said I had to bring energy to the team, especially on defense.”

Monday was the last strange night in a season full of them for the Warriors, who are 22-25 after the win. Games in Philadelphia on Wednesday and Indiana on Thursday will complete this five-game East Coast trip and push the Warriors to the trade deadline.

Now officially two-thirds of the way through the season, Golden State still sits in 12th place in the Western Conference, percentage points behind the Houston Rockets in 11th place, one game behind utah jazz in tenth and 1½ behind the Los Angeles Lakers in ninth.

But not only do the Warriors have to move up the West standings, they also have to continue to deal with the reality of Thompson’s fluid place as part of Golden State’s lineups in the biggest moments of games.

“I know he wants to shoot the ball better,” Curry said. “I know he wants to be on the court. He’s a champion. He’s a guy who’s been as big a part of our success as anyone. The challenge as we move forward in our careers is the adjustments we all have to make.” We have to do to try to continue winning at the highest level.

“So the way this game works, there are ebbs and flows. There are down periods in the season, there are times when it’s your time to shine. You have to stay focused, be ready. I haven’t talked to him specifically about that. , but it’s just about staying positive, being ready and continuing to play 30 minutes. And you’ve made a lot of timely plays for us. So just hang in there, because it’s all going again.”