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Klay Thompson’s devastating knee injury in the NBA Finals all but ended the Golden State Warriors’ hopes of three-peating as champs. While the odds were already stacked against them, once the sharpshooter clutched his knee beneath the basket, lying on the floor in agony, the proverbial fat lady had all but sung.
With the NBA Finals loss now behind them — and a ton of turnover occurring during the offseason — the Warriors seem to be excited about what the future holds in the post-Kevin Durant era, believing that a roster built around Steph Curry, Draymond Green, newly-acquired D’Angelo Russell and a healthy Klay Thompson being enough to compete for championships. Thing is, Thompson has to be healthy, and it’ll all depend on how his ACL injury recovers as he prepares for a return next season.
Although we don’t know for sure when Klay will come back, his dad — former NBA player Mychal Thompson — helped give a little bit of insight. Talking to the Warriors Insider Podcast, the elder Thompson believes his son will be back before the end of the regular season, which, presumably, would make the Warriors loaded come playoff time. Take a look at the updated from Klay’s dad below.
“He’s walking normally, and he’s very optimistic and enthusiastic about getting back late next season.
“… Once he gets back up to the bay and he is around the team and he’s working out, he probably won’t be on the court doing full-court drills until late December or January. So, he’s got quite a ways to go. But the main thing is just stay dedicated and diligent in your rehab and just continue to work hard and keep that motivation to get back and get back on the court with his teammates.”
For Warriors fans, it’s probably not great to hear that Klay Thompson would return “late next season,” but it’s better than not rejoining the team at all. Plus, if you’re an optimist, you have to love the idea of Thompson coming back with about 15 games left in the regular season, meshing with his new teammates and getting back into shape, and then helping make the Warriors a dangerous threat come playoff time. Think about that matchup nightmare come the postseason — teams preparing for a backcourt of Steph, Russell and Klay.
Sure, hoops fans want to see Klay return ASAP because of how good he is, but, as we all know, the real season starts come playoff time, so this might actually be the best news for the Warriors in the long run. Now it’s just up to Klay Thompson to get back in time to make this all come to fruition.