Kerr: Dubs’ lack of continuity contributing to Klay’s struggles originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
Aside from getting healthy, the Warriors know their championship dreams could live and die with Klay Thompson.
The star shooting guard has been inconsistent since returning from a two-and-a-half-year absence on Jan. 9. On the Warriors’ last road trip, Thompson scored 37 against the Atlanta Hawks on 14-for-26 shooting and followed that up with a 25-point performance against the Atlanta Hawks. But Thompson struggled mightily in the Warriors’ loss to the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday, scoring just 13 points while going 5-for-21 from the field.
Head coach Steve Kerr knows Thompson is “forcing” things on the offensive end. Kerr spoke to 95.7 The Game’s “Damon and Ratto” on Thursday and discussed how Thompson’s relative unfamiliarity with his teammates is playing a role in the struggles.
“Yeah, but this is a new team,” Kerr said when asked if Thompson looks different. “You know, that was two and a half years ago. The stuff you’re referencing, we had Shaun Livingston and Andre Iguodala out there, we had David West. We had a structure and an order and, and a bunch of passers, you know, a team that had been together for years, continuity. So it was perfect for Klay.
“He’s returned to a team that he doesn’t quite recognize, you know, and with so many injuries, particularly to Draymond [Green] and Andre, there’s not nearly as much organization with this team. Because we’ve sort of played without a point guard for much of the season because our point guards are Draymond and Andre. So you know you, you have to look at the player’s perspective, and you know, he’d been out two and a half years. He’s so competitive, so desperate to succeed and to make an impact. And so you asked the question Is he forcing it? One hundred percent, he’s forcing it, and he knows it, and we’ve talked about it, and he just has to stay with it and stay poised, stay connected. And as this team comes together, and guys get healthier, things will make more sense for him and for us, and we’ll be able to settle down, and he’ll be able to settle down and that’s the goal.”
So, how does Thompson fix his issues with just five games remaining until the playoffs? Patience is the key.
“That’s part of coaching is helping your players gain some knowledge to help them get comfortable and confident, and we do that pretty much every day,” Kerr said. “So, the discussion is generally about concepts you know, trusting that the ball will come back to you if you give it up. You know, spacing. If we can get good spacing and the ball moves, he’s much more likely to get a good shot. So those are the types of conversations you have, but on top of that, it’s just a mental aspect of, you know, the difficulty of coming back after such a long absence and not having the same comfort level with the team that he had before and that stuff takes time and he just needs to be patient.”
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Thompson’s numbers have been ticking up on the whole. On the season, he is averaging 18.7 points per game while shooting 41.3 percent from the field and 36.5 percent from 3-point range.
But the inconsistency and tendency to take bad shots has led some to suggest Thompson should come off the bench in favor of Jordan Poole when Steph Curry returns from injury and might need to be benched in crunch time if he doesn’t have it.
That’s not going to happen. Thompson has earned the right to work through his struggles and has shown he still has the instant-microwave ability to light it up on any given night.
The Warriors can’t win the title with Thompson playing a lesser role. They need him, Curry and Poole firing on all cylinders if they plan to make it through the Western Conference gauntlet.
Kerr knows Thompson will find himself, the Warriors just need to give it time. Unfortunately, time is a luxury the Warriors don’t have with the playoffs looming.