![]() ![]() In his junior years, Thompson again gained All-Pac-10 first team honors after advancing the Pac-10 in scoring. He was titled to the Pac-10 All-Freshman Team and All Freshman Honorable Mention team after advancing his team in 3-point field goal and free throw percentage and averaging 12.5 points for each game. ![]() He played college basketball for 3 seasons at Washington State University before being chosen by Golden State with the 11th choice of the 2011 NBA draft.ĭuring his freshman years, he began all 33 games at Washington State University. ![]() With Bridges and Ayton having taken the largest leaps since Thompson last took the floor, those two have the best chance to take him by storm.Klay Thompson is presently plays for the Golden State Warriors of the NBA. On the other hand, today’s Phoenix team as a whole looks far different than the one Thompson last saw, which grants the Suns the element of surprise. To be clear though, all this remains speculation. Locking down Booker remains a painstaking chore, and an almost impossible one to complete, but the Warriors now possess another potential stopper for him, which still makes things difficult no matter how you look at it. With those dimensions, he gives Book an entirely different look than the stingy Gary Payton II, but one still quite difficult to deal with. Thompson also stands taller than Booker and carries a longer wingspan. The same goes for his free-throw attempts per game, and his turnovers increased as well. We all know how much Booker improved since the last time he lined up against Thompson, but history still nods in Thompson’s favor when looking at these two head-to-head.īooker’s field goal, and especially 3-point percentage, are all lower during games against Thompson/Golden State compared to his averages from his rookie year to the 2018-19 season. He did well to stick with his defensive assignments and his hands stayed active, even helping him to come away with a blocked shot.īut primarily against the Suns, Thompson carries the potential to bother Devin Booker along the wing. Based on last night, Thompson’s lateral quickness seems to have survived his past injuries. On catch-and-shoot attempts this year, Golden State already ranks top three in percentage, and now will now be able to flex those muscles more often against Phoenix. Oklahoma City Thunder, Cleveland Cavalier, and Houston Rocket fans likely still have nightmares about the Warriors of old and their 3-point shooting blitzes, and now the Suns will need to run around crazy to try and deal with it all the same.Īlthough more difficult to quantify, Thompson’s return also adds more fire to an already top-ranking Warriors defense. With Thompson as an omnipresent threat from beyond the arc, he will stretch the Suns defense out even with all their versatile defenders, allowing the Warriors to find more catch-and-shoot opportunities from three. That figure stands far off from their season mark at 36.8 percent, illustrating how Phoenix’s defense impacts Golden State at its best.īut with Thompson back, his spacing will make those shots less featured in their offense, rendering this strength for the Suns almost useless. That defensive effort from the Suns forced the Warriors into a tough night with their self-created shots from deep, shooting 25.0 percent on pull-up threes. Thanks to agile defenders Mikal Bridges, Deandre Ayton, and Jae Crowder, the Suns kept the pressure on Golden State’s shooters even after getting their desired switches.ĭA NOT BITING. ![]() It gave way to their only win thus far against the golden boys, and consequently deserves another look with regard to how Thompson might impact any head-to-head games down the line.ĭuring that late November game, lock-down defense on shooters more than anything led to the win. Phoenix’s best defensive effort vs the Warriors surely came during their first matchup this season. Golden State already resembles a top-10 team in offensive rating, and adding an undisputed top-three all-time shooter in Thompson only makes them more dangerous.īut under more specific terms, Thompson poises to hurt the Suns mainly with his spacing amidst Golden State’s complex and fast-moving offense. For his career, he averages 19.5 points per game, shooting 45.9 percent from the field and 41.9 percent from three. In doing that, he promises to give the Warriors a substantial boost and consequently shake up the league as we move toward the All-Star break.įrom a general standpoint, Thompson’s return obviously threatens Phoenix’s hold on the West. DlYjv6Svj3Īlthough Thompson struggled a bit from an efficiency standpoint against the Cavs, shooting 7-18 from the field, he remains a future Hall of Famer, certain to improve after getting a few more games under his belt. Klay Thompson is introduced for the first time at Chase Center. ![]()
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