The Golden State Warriors‘ loss to the Sacramento Kings in the NBA Play-In Tournament may mark the end of an era for the most dominant team of the last decade.
Klay Thompson struggled on the court much of the season, as well as off of it with what appears to be a diminished game for one of the sports’ top-100 players of all time. Thompson’s nostalgia for his previous form, as well as his melancholy because it now may be gone forever, has been evident in multiple public comments throughout the past year from the future Hall of Fame shooting guard. And his actions following the Dubs’ 118-94 loss to their NorCal rival seemed to indicate the same.
Anthony Slater of The Athletic posted video of Thompson as he left the court in Sacramento on Tuesday night, April 16, which may well be the last time he ever dons a Golden State uniform in his storied career. Thompson can be seen stopping near the edge of the hardwood and initiating a slow 360-degree spin, perhaps taking in the moment so he could commit it to memory.
“Klay Thompson goes 0-of-10 shooting in Sacramento elimination game and exits to an unknown Warriors future,” Slater wrote on X. “Here he is walking off the court. Largest GSW offseason question is whether he will wear this jersey again.”
Klay Thompson Struggled as Much This Season as He Has During Entire Career With Warriors
Getty Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors.
Thompson scored zero points in the Warriors’ Play-In loss to the Kings, which ended Golden State’s season two wins shy of the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference and an official playoff berth. Beyond an 0-of-10 night from the field, Thompson was 0-of-6 from behind the 3-point line and registered just 4 rebounds and a single assist.
The doughnut in the scoring column wasn’t specifically indicative of how Thompson’s 2023-24 campaign went, but his general struggles were. The four-time NBA champion produced his fewest points per game average since his sophomore season (2012-13) with just 17.9 points per night.
He also shot just 43.2% from the field and put up his second-lowest 3-point percentage at 38.7%, according to Basketball Reference. Thompson’s worst 3-point shooting campaign (38.5%) came two years back, following his return to the court after nearly two and a half years sidelined by an ACL tear and an Achilles rupture that occurred back-to-back.
At one point, and for a stretch of several games, head coach Steve Kerr pulled Thompson from the starting lineup in favor of rookie and No. 19 overall pick Brandin Podziemski.
Warriors Contemporaries Praise Klay Thompson, Advocate for His Return
Getty Steph Curry and Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors.
On Tuesday night, Thompson played out the final game of the final season on his five-year contract worth $190 million total, which the team offered him in July 2019 — just weeks after his ACL tear in the NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors.
All things considered, it’s hard to argue that the Warriors haven’t done right by Thompson financially. And now, a franchise that finished 10th in the West and is paying Steph Curry and Draymond Green significant money into their late 30s, must make hard decisions on how to spend in a way that allows it to compete in the years ahead.
For their part, Thompson’s contemporaries in Golden State advocated for his return following the loss to Sacramento.
“We need Klay back. He’s still got good years left, and I know I speak for everybody in the organization: We want him back,” Kerr said, per Kendra Andrews of ESPN. “What Klay has meant to this franchise and as good as he still is, we desperately want him back.”
Curry also chimed in for his fellow Splash Brother.
“Everyone is going to talk about one game,” Curry said of Thompson. “We go through so much over 82 games, and the fact that he was able to turn his season around with a new role and adjusting … just really having fun playing basketball and being at peace out there with it all, I’m more worried about that.”
Thompson also spoke to his poor performance against the Kings and his future in Golden State following the game.
“That’s life,” Thompson said. “Had so much success here, I’m not going to let whatever future happens make me salty about what I’ve been able to accomplish in a Warriors uniform.”
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