Every time an NBA star is benched, it’s big news.
The scale is even bigger when you consider Klay Thompson, a four-time champion and five-time All-Star.
Thompson, who has adapted well to his new sixth man role, initially did not like being sent to the bench.
he yelled at Warriors coach Steve Kerr According to ESPN, several assistant coaches were also present when they were informed of the transfer.
Carr said Thompson later apologized and said he understood the shooter’s frustration.
“It wasn’t an easy conversation,” Kerr told ESPN. “This is probably the hardest part of coming away from our prime. After 12 years, it hasn’t been easy. And we’re still moving forward, and it’s not easy. But I think he I said to him, “If you take it seriously, you can help the team win.”
Thompson’s performance declined and he was benched as the team fell to 26 wins and 26 losses.
In a loss to the Clippers on Valentine’s Day, Thompson intentionally fouled Russell Westbrook with the Warriors trailing by three points with 38 seconds left. This was an obvious defensive situation, but no foul.
The next game, Thompson came off the bench for the first time since the 2012 season.
In that game on February 15, Thompson scored 35 points on 13-of-22 shooting and also made 7-of-13 3-pointers in a 140-137 away victory over the Jazz.
After his win, Thompson shared some insight into his new role.
“There are two things you can do,” Thompson said. “You can pout, you can go out and react.”
Since the role change, the Warriors have won five of their last six games, with their only loss coming against the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets.
Thompson had 16 points and five rebounds in the Warriors’ 110-99 win over the Knicks on Thursday night. He shot 6-of-16 and 4-of-10 from beyond the arc.
In the six games since moving to the bench, Thompson has averaged just over 19.2 points per game.
With Andrew Wiggins taking time off from the team due to personal reasons, the Warriors may be looking to Thompson for more action.
Despite the Warriors’ recent surge, they sit in 10th place in the Western Conference and the last spot in the play-in round.
They are 0.5 games behind the Lakers, 2 games behind the Kings, and 2.5 games behind the Mavericks.
Golden State travels north of the border to take on the Raptors on Friday night and will look to advance to five of six games.
