A postseason is a spectacle that the tough minded can handle. It’s where stars are born and developed through a series of consistent, yet stellar play that leads players to heights they’ve dreamed of. Whether its basketball, football, baseball or hockey, every sport has its primetime performers and others who falter under the pressure.
Golden State Warriors shooting guard, Klay Thompson has taken that next step in wake of superstar Stephen Curry’s series of unfortunate injuries. Like Curry, Thompson is considered a Splash Brother and one of the most dangerous shooters in all of basketball. He’s the lone man that scored 37 points in a single quarter and the winner of the 2015 Three-Point Contest.
Now, a new task is at hand for the 26 year old. Thompson has never been a bright performer in the playoffs. In the 2014-15 season, he averaged 18.6 points per game on 44 percent from the field and 39 percent from beyond the arc — dropping from his regular season averages by 3.1 points, 2 percent from the field, and a disappointing 4 percent from beyond the arc despite taking the same amount a contest. His free-throw percentage also dropped a whopping 8 percent and he wasn’t playing at the same defensive level, either. Thompson looked lost in the postseason, especially in the NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The scripts have flipped in these playoffs: Klay Thompson has become an absolute beast. He’s scoring in ways that Warrior fans haven’t been accustomed to and his overall game has taken the next step. Thompson became the first player in NBA history to have consecutive games (3) with at least 7 made three-pointers in the playoffs. He also had a game where he took 16 free-throws, a rare feat for the prolific shooter. His rebounding and assist numbers are higher and he seeks the responsibility of guarding the opposition’s best offensive player.
Damian Lillard is averaging 27.5 points in the first two games of the Western Conference Semi-Finals, however he’s taken 46 shots to get there. Thompson, along with Andre Iguodala, put the clamps on James Harden during the First Round and made one of the most dangerous offensive players in the NBA look all but that.
Meanwhile, Thompson has made 26 three-pointers in his last four playoff games. He’s been so good, he’s made Stephen Curry look healthy on the bench with his constant jumping around and cheering. Thompson struggled during the first half of Game 2 on Tuesday night at Oracle Arena, but made timely baskets in the second half, especially in the fourth quarter.
Through seven playoff games thus far, Thompson has attempted 39 free throws, just 6 shy of how many he took in 21 games last postseason. He’s taking advantage of the team being without the MVP and Harrison Barnes’ continuous struggles. Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston, and Andrew Bogut are not scorers. None of them are shoot-first type players so it’s Thompson’s job to shoot, shoot, and do more shooting. He isn’t there to set anyone else up, but it’s a plus every time he has that opportunity.
Thompson has taken his game to the next tier. A player who was simply known as the guy who plays alongside Steph Curry is now being accepted on a national scale. With Jimmy Butler missing the playoffs, DeMar DeRozan struggling, and James Harden eliminated in five games after multiple poor performances, a big question glooms over the NBA: Is Klay Thompson the best shooting guard in the league? Right now, he looks like it. He plays both ends of the ball unlike DeRozan and Harden and he hasn’t caused any sort of chemistry issues like Butler. Thompson knows his role and steps up when needed to on the biggest stage.
The biggest knock on Thompson has been his constant struggles in the postseason or when Curry is out of the lineup. He’s continuously proving that he can get it done this postseason and has shown no signs of slowing down. He’s fully embraced the number one scorer role on the team and delivers on a nightly basis. The Warriors don’t have to worry about rushing the best player in the world back, because with Thompson playing like the best two-guard in the world, the Warriors are in good hands.