SUMMARY
- Klay Thompson scoring 35 points, grabbing 6 rebounds, and providing 2 assists in just 28 minutes against Utah Jazz despite coming off the bench.
- Warriors' head coach, Steve Kerr, is opting to keep Klay Thompson coming off the bench for the time being.
The Golden State Warriors were up against the Utah Jazz on February 15, 2024, at the Delta Center. And the Dubs Nation team buried the Jazz with a 7-point lead. Most importantly, Warriors’ guard/forward Klay Thompson emerged from the ashes. The 34-year-old guard edged the Jazz with his 35-point score, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists, all in just 28 minutes on the hardwood.
It’s worth noting that Thomspon was coming off the bench yet again. The player has been in a ‘not so good’ emotional state since February 2, 2024. The star guard was benched for the first time on February 2, 2024, since his rookie season. It’s true that the guard is trailing in terms of shooting as other non-veteran players are replacing him in the lineups.
Klay Thompson was ANGRY tonight. pic.twitter.com/jBMu0AFXl9
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) February 16, 2024
Thompson registered 59.1% while shooting from the deep, and @LegionHoops floated a tweet. The caption read, “Klay Thompson was angry tonight.” The comments to this tweet are hilarious indeed. A fan even commented, “He saw the washed tweets.” Other fans were quick to hype up the 35-point season-high performance by the star, as he is planning to give a reply to the critics.
Klay was apparently criticized once he was reserved for the second unit after being a part of the starting lineup since his rookie season. And Steve Kerr is planning to sustain this arrangement for a few more games.
Steve Kerr wants to stick with Klay Thompson off the bench
Anthony Slater of The Athletic published a tweet on his Twitter handle pertaining to the comments of the Warriors’ longtime coach. According to the statements, Steve Kerr seems to be trying this arrangement for a little more time. He said, “That doesn’t mean it’s permanent. We will give it a little look and see.” Well, it’s a fact that Klay registered a blockbuster performance while coming off the bench.
Steve Kerr tells reporters in Utah he will stick with Klay Thompson off the bench for now: “Doesn’t mean it’s permanent…We’ll give it a little look and see how it goes.” Thompson had 35 points tonight. Kerr: “Gives us some firepower off the bench.”
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 16, 2024
The player utilized his blustering anger and channeled his energy towards securing a season-high performance. Not only that, he registered zero turnovers tonight and even surpassed the 15,000-point mark in his career. Well, an NBA legend’s career trajectory might inspire the trailing player at this point, it seems.
Klay Thompson is drawing inspiration from Manu Ginobili
Manu Ginobili, the NBA legend, fought a tough battle, as he was not a part of the starting lineups for the majority of his playing career. Thompson derived inspiration from Ginobili’s career before starting against the Jazz tonight. In a post-game interview, Thompson commented on how he has to let his ego go.
Warriors guard Klay Thompson speaks on coming off the bench for the first time since his rookie season: pic.twitter.com/sXADbl09iT
— Sam Gordon (@BySamGordon) February 16, 2024
Just like no one questions the Hall of Famer candidacy of Manu Ginobili, Klay sounded positive about his gameplay as well. Of course, it is hard to come off the bench as a seasoned player, but one has to make peace with it. Although Kerr took the decision to replace him with Brandin Podziemski in the starting lineups, such a positive attitude might work its magic on the head coach as well.