Steve Kerr saw his Golden State Warriors struggling from late December to January and had to shake things up. They needed to ride on the massive development of Brandin Podziemski while also maintaining the gravity that Stephen Curry holds in the starting lineup. The change that was made? Klay Thompson effectively became the Warriors’ sixth man.
Being pushed to the bench role often leaves players butting heads with their coaches. Klay Thompson is not one of these individuals. He made sure to sacrifice his starting spot such that the Warriors could get more production from him while also drawing the best out of other members of the squad.
Jack Winter of ClutchPoints got a statement out of the new Warriors’ sixth man. It seems like he likes the role.
“Honestly, it’s been a pretty seamless transition. It does have its benefits as far as letting the game settle, seeing the floor before you enter, and just relaxing,” Thompson said.
The Warriors’ new sixth man
In the Warriors’ latest win over the Washington Wizards, Thompson popped off and proved a lot of naysayers wrong. He knocked down nine out of his 16 field goal attempts to lead the team in scoring with 25 points. Simultaneously, he also grabbed three rebounds and dropped four assists. Thompson also picked up the offensive that Brandin Podziemski could not handle for the night.
All of this could be attributed to his new role inside Steve Kerr’s system. Thompson even said that his nerves got eased better due to being a sixth man.
“The nerves, especially when you start, can be apparent when it’s a big night. But when you’re coming off the bench it’s a little easier to relax, and I think my game is showing that,” he declared.
Because of all these, the Warriors are poised to stay above .500 and make a late-season run to get out of the play-in tournament race. Stephen Curry’s squad has won eight of their last 10 matchups. This makes them sit ninth in the Western Conference standings. With a team like the Sacramento Kings slowing down, they could very well notch a playoff spot if they keep their streak hot.
The sacrifices that Thompson made were noble and will always be etched in the Warriors’ history.
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