What went wrong for Klay Thompson in the Lakers' series? Detailed analysis

Klay Thompson had one of the worst playoff series in his career against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Klay, playing in his hometown, said before the series that he had been waiting for his entire career to play against the Lakers in his home team, LA. But the series didn't go according to how he had planned.

Coming off back-to-back injuries, everyone wondered if he'd be the same sharpshooting Splash brother as Stephen Curry. Klay disproved his detractors by helping the Warriors win their fourth title in eight years.

However, Klay Thompson was frequently mocked and chastised for his shot selection this season. Rumour has it that the coaching staff counseled him several times during the season to change his shot selection and stop merely chucking up shots.

The shooting efficiency in the Lakers' series was the worse in his career, averaging 34.3% from the field and 38.1% from beyond the arc.

Let's take a look at how Klay Thompson fared during the series.

Games 1-2

Thompson started the series on a not-so-great shooting night. But still dropped 25 points and dished out four assists. He shot 9-25 from the field, which is not an ideal shooting split for the Splash brother, including six three-pointers.

In Game 2, the Warriors routed the Lakers in a blowout fashion. Klay Thompson led the Warriors in scoring dropping 30 points, including 8 three-pointers.

On the defensive end, he was often switched up to defend LeBron James and held his own against the NBA's leading scorer.

Averages through Games 1-2: 34.3 minutes, 27.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 46.5 FG%, 51.9 3P%, 7.0 three-pointers, +14.5

Games 3-6

Klay Thompson endured one of his worst shooting stretches in his career from games 3-6. In those games, he scored 15, 9, 8, and 10 points on 14-56 shooting.

Klay Thompson was the Warriors' secondary scorer after Stephen Curry and his poor performances caused the offense to collapse, causing them to be ousted in the second round of the playoffs.

Thompson simply couldn't find his shot in the second half of the series. It's unusual for him not to appear in big postseason games.

Even the much-anticipated Game 6 Klay didn't turn up for the Warriors in the elimination game. Klay made just three baskets out of his 19 shot attempts.

Averages through games 3-6: 37.1 minutes, 10.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.8 blocks, 25% FG%, 27.8% 3P%, 2.5 three-pointers, 2.3 turnovers, -9.5.

Thompson had great open looks in the elimination game in Game 6. He just could not make them.

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Now with an early off-season, Thompson will look to figure out his shot and make a much stronger comeback in the upcoming 2023-24 season.