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He warriors of the golden state They are 19 months away win an NBA title but they are near the bottom of the Western Conference standings at 22-25. Two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry made another All-Star team this season but the rest of the team is struggling, including his longtime defense partner. Klay Thompson.
Thompson is arguably going through his worst season since becoming the Warriors’ starter in 2012-13, marked by a poor shooting streak over the past week (32.5% from the field, 16% from 3-point range points). Warriors coach Steve Kerr opted to keep Thompson on the bench for the final seven minutes of the game. Monday’s victory 109-98 about him Brooklyn networks in Brooklyn.
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After the win, Thompson talked about his rough patch with reporters in the locker room.
“I feel really good physically, mentally it’s probably a different story,” he said.
His former teammate, Draymond Green, intervened off camera and said, “What they’re talking about, you haven’t played.” [sic] to finish the game? “I got benched in Game 5 of the Finals, who cares?”
That prompted The Athletic Antonio Slater to ask him about not closing the games.
“At the end of the day, winning trumps everything,” Thompson said. “Yes, are you kidding me? Going from being one of the best players is difficult for anyone. I’ll be honest with you, it’s very difficult. I’m happy for these young men, honestly… and yes, I won. It’s hard to get wins in this league “.
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Kerr went with Gui Santosa second-round pick in 2022 with just nine games of NBA experience, in place of Thompson in the final minutes of games.
“If a group is playing well, you just stay in that group,” Kerr told reporters after the game. “They were really competing and making plays… [Thompson]Alright. This is a season that has had a lot of ups and downs and it’s not easy for a guy who’s been so good, a Hall of Fame player, to deal with injuries and it’s never easy for a player to get old. But he is mentally strong, he plays in everything.”
Thompson’s shooting was 41.5% from the field and 37.1% from the three-point line this season, both career lows. Advanced metrics show him posting career lows in player efficiency rating (PER) at 12.2, winning percentage per 48 minutes (0.047) and value over replacement player (0.1) this season as well.
The Warriors continue their tour with a matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers Wednesday nights at 7:30 pm Eastern Time.
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