Klay Thompson Talks about Return to Scrimmaging

As we enter into the month of January, Klay Thompson’s return becomes more and more imminent. He’s looked game-ready in practices, reports about his conditioning have been positive, and the man himself has a lot of optimism about his return to the court.

After practice yesterday, Thompson spoke to media members about what it was like to once again share a lineup (even a practice one) with his backcourt mate and fellow Splash Brother, Steph Curry.

“Man it was really, really special… After the first five minutes, the jitters were gone” Thompson told the SF Chronicle’s Connor Letourneau. “That was a ton of fun, and that made me realize how special this group could be.”

Thompson’s eagerness to return has been on full display for awhile now. After he was supposed to make his long-awaited return last season, the news that he’d suffered another injury and would be out for another season was devastating to everyone: Teammates, fans, and Klay himself. With Klay on the roster last year, it’s far more likely the Warriors avoid the play-in altogether and are a competitive playoff team.

With the all-star break now on the horizon and the Warriors holding one of the best records in the NBA, it’s looking like they’ll be almost unstoppable when he returns. The Steph-Klay lineups of old that were so successful haven’t been seen by teams in a long time, and they will no longer be able to hound Steph with traps all game when there’s another sniper out there.

Thompson also spoke on a few other things, including how ready he is defensively in terms of feel and ability on the court.

“I feel really good. Honestly, I give myself credit, give the training staff credit, because there’s times throughout the lengthy process that you might doubt yourself… but honestly, when I come back, I feel like myself and I feel great” Thompson told Letourneau when prompted by the question.

There’s no doubt that Klay’s jumper will be a weapon on his return. The biggest questions have always been surrounding his conditioning and his defense when it’s asked if he’ll be the same player or not. While it’s unfair to assume a guy who tore his ACL and Achilles will be able to move the same defensively, there is no doubt that Thompson’s a smart defender and will be able to adjust.

(Photo credit: Noah Graham / Getty Images)