Klay Thompson Hate Is Out of Control
The Klay Thompson slander is getting out of hand. It’s not surprising because it has always been that way. Who knows the reason but Klay always seemed to get slighted even when he was in his prime, so why would it be any different now?
Klay was known as a defensive stopper, but he didn’t make second team all defense in 2019. He received that accolade only after past and current players complained the year before that he didn’t make the team. For context, 2019 was the year after the Warriors won their third NBA Championship. it was also the year in which Klay tore his ACL in the NBA Finals.
Since he didn’t get his just due when the Warriors were winning. It’s easy for people to forget and make him the butt of jokes now that he is struggling. How soon everyone forgets. Some consider the Warriors with Durant the greatest team ever. But they forget how Durant ended up on the Warriors after his Oklahoma City Thunder blew a 3-1 lead. They forget that the Houston rockets had the KD Warriors down 3-2 in the Western Conference Finals.
Game 6 Klay Thompson
Game 6 Klay is a real thing. We always hear how Steph Curry is the greatest shooter of all time, but Klay Thompson is arguably the greatest clutch shooter of all time. He is definitely the greatest clutch shooter of this generation. All of his exploits were when the Warriors were on the brink of elimination. The irony is, the team the Warriors are compared to, the Chicago Bulls with Michael Jordan, never went to a game 7, so we don’t know what Jordan would have done in those situations.
If further proof of Klay’s importance is needed, look at were the Warriors were without him. In 2020 they missed the bubble, but Steph missed the season as well, so that doesn’t count. But they lost in play-in and missed the playoffs the next season with Steph playing a full season. When Klay returned the next season, they won a title.
The saddest part is how the organization has left Klay hanging. His struggles are understandable considering his contract situation. It is a business and with the new salary cap, the Warriors have tough decisions to make. Many will say that Klay should have stepped it up because it is a contract year. But what does he have to prove? He’s always been there when he’s needed the most.
Hopefully Klay gets out this offseason because despite the narrative, he still has a lot of high quality basketball in him in my opinion. He just needs to be in a place where he is appreciated. The Warriors need him to do too much. In my opinion he is paying the price for the organizations poor draft history, or it could be Steve Kerr’s inability to develop young players. James Wiseman was shipped out after a few years and Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody are just getting an opportunity years later.
Klay Thompson needs to be in a location that will play to his strengths and hide his weaknesses at this point in his career. I believe he is still a major factor, and can be the missing piece for a team like the Orlando Magic. They have the size and defense, and only need consistent three point shooting threat to become a contender. Klay is still elite no matter what anyone says. He is just in a bad situation right now. Once he gets past this, he will remind everyone why he is Game 6 Klay.
