Klay Thompson leaves the Warriors bench for the first time since 2012
The last time Klay Thompson came off the bench was March 2012. He was 22, an unproven rookie. Monta Ellis started for him. Nate Robinson came off the bench next to him. The Golden State Warriors faced the LA Clippers. Chauncey Billups, now 47 and head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, was on that Clippers team.
Thompson was initially elevated to the starting lineup due to Stephen Curry's ankle injury and the Monta Ellis trade. That Clippers game was the finale of Curry's third season. He left after nine minutes and would stay for the last month. By the time Curry returned the following season, Thompson was the entrenched starter. The Splash Brothers were formed.
More than a decade later, Thompson's streak of consecutive starts extended to 727 games. It ended Thursday night in Utah, the dominant story in the Warriors' eventual 140-137 victory.
Steve Kerr replaced his four-time NBA champion with Brandin Podziemski, a rookie who had recently outperformed Thompson and, according to the data, completed the five-man group better alongside Curry, Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga and Draymond Green. When explaining the decision after the game, Kerr pointed out the gaudy stats of that lineup. They have defeated their opponents by 57 points in 107 minutes.
Numbers indicated that this step was rational and perhaps necessary. Thompson is scoring career lows from the field and from 3 this season. The Warriors are in their postseason lives, entering Thursday with a 26-26 record, 10th in the Western Conference.
But that didn't make the conversation any easier. Kerr said he had been thinking about it for a while and decided to do it Thursday, a night after Kerr again held Thompson out of the Warriors' closing lineup before inserting him as a floor spacer in the final minute and watching Thompson make a mistake. intentional and unwise mistake against the Clippers. He told Thompson about the decision Thursday morning in Utah.
“He wasn't happy about it,” Kerr told reporters. “I didn't expect him to be happy about it.”
But what a response Thompson gave. He came out scorching, posting his highest point total of the season before the third quarter was over. He had 17 points in 11 minutes of the first half, earning closing duties, including a nice transition find in the final minute of the second quarter to Green, who finished with 23 points, his most since 2018. The Warriors scored 84 in the first half. half.
“You can do two things: you can pout, or you can go out there and respond.”
Klay reveals how he changed his mindset when he came off the bench after talking to Kerr 👏 pic.twitter.com/jC9XALO57c
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) February 16, 2024
Thompson didn't cool off after halftime. He scored 18 in a torrid third quarter, giving him 35 points. There he finished with 13 of his 22 shots and seven of his 13 3s, an excellent performance that helped the Warriors hold off the Jazz in a shootout despite nearly giving away a big lead late. Thompson also made a huge defensive play with 74 seconds left, stopping a Keyonte George drive and forcing a trip. It was Thompson's best game of the season.
“The fuel that fueled his competitiveness was the decision I made,” Kerr said. “He's such a competitor. I've seen him hit a million big shots. I've seen him guard the toughest guys in the league. Klay is a champion. He's an incredible player, a great person. I am blessed to coach him. It has been a difficult season for him and for us. Many transitions are taking place. Some of our younger guys are coming up. It's not that easy to do for him what Klay did five or six years ago. I think this can be a good balance to get the best out of Klay and get the best out of our team.”
Kerr said he plans to keep Podziemski in the starting lineup and Thompson off the bench after the All-Star break. He said the move isn't “permanent,” but he wants to give it a healthy look.
“Klay coming off the bench gives us a lot of firepower,” Kerr said.
(Photo by Klay Thompson: Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)