Warriors put faith in Klay Thompson going forward despite struggles

Klay Thompson had a bad stretch in the last two games shooting 9-of-30 in the losses against Dallas and the Lakers.

In the latest loss vs LA, Thompson shot 3-of-13 from the field and he scored just seven points in 31 minutes of play. The Warriors dropped their fourth straight with Steve Kerr and Steph Curry addressing the situation regarding Klay.

Steve Kerr admitted that the “Dubs” superstar is pressing the issue after missing a couple of games with a non-COVID illness.

After two years of absence due to two consecutive season-ending injuries, Thompson was starting to find some rhythm prior to the All-Star break.

Before the All-Star Game, Thompson was averaging 17.1 points on 37 percent from beyond the arc and 41 percent from the field. He even had 33 points in the 117-115 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 13.

In three games since the start of the final part of the regular season, Thompson saw his numbers dropping. He shot just 36 percent from the field and 35 percent from deep.

“Klay’s pressing,” coach Steve Kerr told reporters. “He got into a pretty good groove over the month or so before the All-Star break, and I feel like the sickness, the illness that kept him out of a couple of games probably affected his conditioning, and his timing. So, he struggled the last two games.”

While Klay’s situation is somewhat affecting the Warriors’ offense, the biggest issue rely on defense. The Warriors lost six of their last seven.

During that stint, they allowed their opponents to shoot 72.4 percent from the restricted area. The ”Dubs” are also letting opponents shoot 48 percent on corner threes with Golden State over-helping in matchups in several instances during the game.

They are eighth in opponents field goal percentage allowing them to shot 47 percent from the paint (non-restricted area). However, Klay Thompson being the usual Klay Thompson could help the team balance their defensive shortcomings until Draymond Green get back in action.

“…You don’t want him second-guessing himself or becoming hesitant. There’s a fine balance to who he is as a basketball player, who he is as a shooter and scorer, that he has to figure out,” Steph Curry said on Klay Thompson’s struggles.

Thompson entered February looking as if he was rapidly regaining his old form. He shot 50.8 percent from the field, including 51.4 percent from beyond the arc in the first four games of the month.

However, the Warriors are not worried about Thompson. For Kerr, he needs to let the game come to him and not pressure himself.

“He’ll get it back,” Kerr stated. “He cares so much. Klay wants so badly to do well. He’s definitely pressing, and he’s just got to let the game come to him and he’ll get there, and we’ll get there.”

The Warriors have entered the last part of the regular season with the second-best record in the NBA. They based their incredible run until February on the team’s defense and the effectiveness of several superstar players.

Thompson will get back to his usual self at some point. Finding again their defensive sturdiness should be the number one priority ahead of the playoffs.

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