Steve Kerr Hasn't Considered Benching Klay Thompson

Post #1 » by **RealGM Wiretap** » Fri Nov 11, 2022 2:01 pm

Klay Thompson is off to the worst start of his NBA career. But Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr said he has no plans to bench the veteran guard.

When asked if he's considered moving Thompson to the bench in favor of Jordan Poole, Kerr was emphatic in saying no.

"No, that's not something I've given any thought to," Kerr said. "Jordan & Klay are very different players. Jordan's on the ball, Klay's off the ball...Klay is a starter. That 5-man unit is the best in the league."

Through nine games, Thompson is shooting a career-low 36% from the field, including just 32.6% on three-pointers. For his career, Thompson has shot 45.6% from the floor and 41.5% from behind the arc.

Via Damon and Ratto/95.7 The Game

Revived · Post #2 » by **Revived** » Fri Nov 11, 2022 3:10 pm

I still don’t understand why everyone jumped on Charles Barkley when he said Klay is trash now compared to before his injury. Literally is the truth and the numbers show it.

haste10176 · Post #3 » by **haste10176** » Fri Nov 11, 2022 3:21 pm

Revived wrote:I still don’t understand why everyone jumped on Charles Barkley when he said Klay is trash now compared to before his injury. Literally is the truth and the numbers show it.

Yeah i mean he averaged 19 pts a game in the NBA finals and what did he average through the other NBA finals oh 19 pts a game... He is off to a bad start btw though the starting 5 of gsw is winning more than any other in the league its jordan poole and their bench that sucks

Revived · Post #4 » by **Revived** » Fri Nov 11, 2022 4:06 pm

haste10176 wrote:
Revived wrote:I still don’t understand why everyone jumped on Charles Barkley when he said Klay is trash now compared to before his injury. Literally is the truth and the numbers show it.

Yeah i mean he averaged 19 pts a game in the NBA finals and what did he average through the other NBA finals oh 19 pts a game... He is off to a bad start btw though the starting 5 of gsw is winning more than any other in the league its jordan poole and their bench that sucks

It’s the year 2022 and you’re still using PPG to prove a point? Serious? There’s something called efficiency which matters now. Klay in the Finals shot 35% from the field against Boston. That is not good my friend. GSW won the title in spite of that, not because of that.

dubbmotta · Post #5 » by **dubbmotta** » Fri Nov 11, 2022 4:41 pm

haste10176 wrote:
Revived wrote:I still don’t understand why everyone jumped on Charles Barkley when he said Klay is trash now compared to before his injury. Literally is the truth and the numbers show it.

Yeah i mean he averaged 19 pts a game in the NBA finals and what did he average through the other NBA finals oh 19 pts a game... He is off to a bad start btw though the starting 5 of gsw is winning more than any other in the league its jordan poole and their bench that sucks

You must be Klay Thompson..know one gives a damn what you did last season, what are you doing this season??? Your shooting has been trash, movement off the ball trash, your slower..it is what it is..You were a great player, one of the greatest shooters of all-time but you don't have it anymore...

FeatheryTouch · Post #6 » by **FeatheryTouch** » Fri Nov 11, 2022 7:29 pm

Klay's production and efficiency have declined no doubt and it's clear he's not 100%, but keeping him in the starting lineup with the team's current personel is the right move:

1)The starters have won chips together and have played very well as a group this year, why mess with that comfort level?

2)It's not guaranteed, but there is still a belief that his efficiency will improve as he continues to heal and get his body right.

3)Team chemistry and morale has to be taken into consideration, Klay is a popular franchise legend and a move to the bench would likely cause a little teeth gnashing

4)If Klay and Poole's roles are swapped, the starting lineup gets smaller and worse defensively with Poole in order to add scoring/passing/ballhandling that it doesn't really need. Meanwhile, the bench unit with Klay and without Poole suddenly lacks a primary ballhandler/initiator/passer to run the show(unless you are a big believer in DDV or Ty Jerome).

That said Klay's upcoming contract negotiations will be interesting to monitor.

Pickled Prunes · Post #7 » by **Pickled Prunes** » Fri Nov 11, 2022 8:09 pm

His defense and efficiency fell off before the injury. But the GSW don't really have a better player on the bench and their best chance at repeating is Klay finding his groove again. Their seed doesn't really matter with the play-in as a safety net. No one wants to face them in the 1st round.

oaktownwarriors87 · Post #8 » by **oaktownwarriors87** » Fri Nov 11, 2022 9:17 pm

4th best (48 minute minimum)

+33.1 Paul/Booker/Bridges/Johnson/Ayton
+31.5 Sumner/Harris/O'Neale/Durant/Claxton
+27.6 Holiday/Carter/Allen/Antetokounmpo/Lopez
+26.2 Curry/Thompson/Wiggins/Green/Looney

hyberx · Post #9 » by **hyberx** » Fri Nov 11, 2022 10:33 pm

oaktownwarriors87 wrote:4th best (48 minute minimum)

+33.1 Paul/Booker/Bridges/Johnson/Ayton
+31.5 Sumner/Harris/O'Neale/Durant/Claxton
+27.6 Holiday/Carter/Allen/Antetokounmpo/Lopez
+26.2 Curry/Thompson/Wiggins/Green/Looney

That's exactly right. Klay is not the problem. Sure he is not as great as he used to be, but what players are with two years off after injuries like that? The Ws starting 5 is still a top force in the league. They were losing games due to the poor play of the bench, including Jordan Poole. It's not an easy fix given the youth of the bench and it's something Ws needs to fix to win another one.

xchange55 · Post #10 » by **xchange55** » Sat Nov 12, 2022 2:07 am

hyberx wrote:
oaktownwarriors87 wrote:4th best (48 minute minimum)

+33.1 Paul/Booker/Bridges/Johnson/Ayton
+31.5 Sumner/Harris/O'Neale/Durant/Claxton
+27.6 Holiday/Carter/Allen/Antetokounmpo/Lopez
+26.2 Curry/Thompson/Wiggins/Green/Looney

That's exactly right. Klay is not the problem. Sure he is not as great as he used to be, but what players are with two years off after injuries like that? The Ws starting 5 is still a top force in the league. They were losing games due to the poor play of the bench, including Jordan Poole. It's not an easy fix given the youth of the bench and it's something Ws needs to fix to win another one.

This is one the most ridiculous arguments I've ever seen made to try and support an individual player. Steph is clearly carrying this stat. I mean is Jevon Carter the reason the Bucks have the best record?

IWishIWasHarden · Post #11 » by **IWishIWasHarden** » Sat Nov 12, 2022 4:36 am

Thompson is done I'd say. He never did have a very athletic body. An early decline was always the risk. This is not Ray Allen. He has understood the mechanics of shooting like few players ever do, but he never had the body of Ray Allen.

IAMZOOTED2 · Post #12 » by **IAMZOOTED2** » Sat Nov 12, 2022 5:07 am

Klay cooked. Told y’all, he done like dinner

Crunch 99 · Post #13 » by **Crunch 99** » Sat Nov 12, 2022 2:11 pm

His shooting percentages are bad, but I worry more about his defense than his shooting. He will likely start hitting his shots better imo, especially open threes. His TS% last season at 54.7% regular season and 53.4% playoffs wasn't horrible for a guy coming off a two year layoff.