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The Golden State Warriors have been the NBA's best team, all without five-time All-Star Klay Thompson. As his return nears after more than a year away, the hype around the Warriors adding another All-Star caliber player off the injury list has NBA analysts excited about how great this team could be.
Count Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas, now an NBA analyst, as one excited about Golden State's potential once Thompson returns. The two-time NBA champion with the Detroit Pistons tweeted,
“I can’t wait to see @StephenCurry30 and @KlayThompson play together again @warriors”
The "Splash Brothers" reunion is something fans will want to see again. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson haven’t played together since the 2019 NBA Finals, when Thompson tore his left ACL. Thompson tore his right Achilles in November 2020 and hasn’t played in an NBA game.
When Thompson went down in the Finals, the Warriors were in their fifth consecutive Finals appearance (winning three). Without the duo of Thompson and Curry (who played just five games in 2019-20 before missing the rest of the season with a broken bone in his left hand), Golden State missed the playoffs each of the past two seasons.
Thompson was cleared to participate in a full practice Tuesday and could return to games in December.
With the "Splash Brothers" set to play sometime before Christmas, it will become must-watch television once again. In the 2015-16 season, the season before Kevin Durant joined the Warriors, Thompson and Curry combined for an average of 52.2 points per game. They also combined for an insane number of 3-pointers, making 678 that season.
The Warriors (16-2 entering Friday night's home game against the Portland Trail Blazers) are already cruising as NBA title favorites, even without Thompson. When one of the most devastating backcourt tandems is reunited, with Thompson and Curry back on the court together, it might put the Warriors at another level.
How much of an impact can Klay Thompson have after missing so much time?
Coming back after a long time from any sport can be difficult. Thompson has not played in an NBA game since June 13, 2019.
On top of that, Thompson suffered an Achilles injury after an ACL injury, two of the most detrimental injuries for an NBA player. However, Durant returned last season for the Brooklyn Nets from an Achilles injury (and then suffered a hamstring issue while playing in just 35 games of the regular season), and he looks dominant this season.
Thompson could see similar results to Durant. One reason is that he has also gotten an extended amount of time off. Along with that, neither Durant nor Thompson relied solely on their athleticism as players, which is something that could be lost after such intense injuries.
Thompson is one of the best shooters in NBA history, always using skill and intelligence to make plays and find open space for uncontested 3-pointers.
One thing that might change is Thompson’s ability on defense. Thompson often guarded the opposing team's outside threat as one of the best perimeter defenders in the league. Losing some of that lateral movement could affect that.
Poll : Do the Warriors win the 2022 NBA Finals with Klay Thompson?
Yes
No
72 votes
