NEW YORK — Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson was taken out of the closing lineup for the second time in three games in Monday’s 109-98 win over the Brooklyn Nets, with the future Hall of Famer admitting it was “very hard to deal with.” ” Used to be. With a look from the sidelines at some of the game’s most important moments.
“Yeah,” Thompson said, when asked if his changing role has been an adjustment. “Are you kidding me? You know, one of the best players…it’s tough for anybody.
“I’ll be honest with you. It’s very hard.”
Thompson, who finished 4-for-9 from the field, including 0-for-3 from behind the 3-point arc, was taken out of the game in favor of guard Moses Moody with 7:19 remaining and then stuck the rest of the game. Spent. To the bench. He made 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 – in place of Thompson.
That came after Kerr did the same thing in Golden State’s win over Memphis on Friday, before finishing with Thompson in Saturday’s loss when Andrew Wiggins injured his ankle late in the first half and did not return.
Wiggins remained out Monday with an ankle injury. But instead of going with Thompson, Kerr went with youngsters Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski to Santos, along with core Stephen Curry — who led Golden State with 29 points in the win at Barclays Center — and Draymond Green. .
Kerr said he stuck with that group because it was “competing and making plays and they had momentum,” and then acknowledged that it has been a tough season for Thompson.
“He’s fine,” Kerr said. “It’s a season where he’s had a lot of ups and downs. For a guy who’s been so good and a Hall of Fame player, injuries aren’t easy to deal with and … for any player, It never gets easier as you get older. (But) she’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 a year later, causing him to miss the entire 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons.
He averaged 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 as the Warriors ultimately lost in the second round of the playoffs. The Angels lost to the Lakers.
But Thompson’s numbers have declined this season. He averaged 17.1 points – his lowest average since his second NBA season – and had career-worst shooting averages, 41.5% from the field and 37.1% from 3-point range. Meanwhile, young players like Podziemski, Kuminga and Moody have stepped up, making Thompson’s role a forever story.
“I feel great physically,” Thompson said at his locker after the game. “Mentally, maybe a little different story. But that’s how life is, isn’t it?”
Green then interrupted Thompson and announced that he had once been benched for an NBA Finals game, adding, “So who cares?”
To his credit, Thompson repeatedly said he was happy for his young teammates, credited both Kuminga (28 points) and Podziemski for their play, and went out of his way to praise Santos. , who finished with 9 points, 5 rebounds and had a team-best plus-13 in 18 minutes.
“I’ve accepted it,” Thompson said. “I may be crazy, but honestly, I’m happy for these young guys. Yeah. We won. And it’s hard to win in this league.
“(Santos) played very hard. I’m happy for Gui. I mean, unbelievable. He’s in the (G League), to come here and make that kind of impact? Incredible.”
Santos, a 21-year-old rookie from Brazil who was the 55th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, has now played more minutes in the last three games (44) than in the Warriors’ first 54 (35) this season. Kerr said he was “amazing” in Monday’s win.
“Everyone here always says when you have an opportunity to get on the court and play, be ready,” Santos said. “So when I saw I had some minutes on the court, I said I have to bring energy to the team, especially defensively.”
Monday was the latest bizarre night of the season for the Warriors, who are 22-25 after the win. Games at Philadelphia on Wednesday and Indiana on Thursday will conclude this five-game East Coast swing – and advance 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, a game behind the Utah Jazz in 10th, and 1½ behind the Los Angeles Lakers in ninth Is. ,
But not only do the Warriors have to claw their way back in the West standings, they also have to continue to deal with the reality of Thompson’s fluid spot as part of Golden State’s lineup in games’ biggest moments.
“I know he wants to shoot the ball better,” Curry said. “I know he wants to get on the field. He’s a champion. He’s a guy who has been as much a part of all our successes as anyone. As we get deeper into his career, the challenge It’s the adjustment we all have to make to try to continue winning at the highest level.
“So the way this game works, there’s ups and downs. There’s periods of ups and downs in the season, periods when it’s your time to shine. You’ve got to stay locked in, stay ready. I haven’t talked to him about it specifically, but it’s just about staying positive, being prepared and still playing for 30 minutes. And you’ve played a lot of games on time for us. So just stay in it.” , because everything comes back.”
