Klay Thompson has to endure a long vacation, a forced one, before he can get a taste of live NBA action again. The Golden State Warriors star is to return next season and from the estimates by GM Bob Myers, Thompson is looking great and all set for another title run.
The forward last played in Game 6 of the Warriors' NBA Finals series with the Toronto Raptors where he suffered a torn ACL. The Dubs lost that title showdown and Thompson went through 16 months of recovery and rehabilitation.
He was reduced to watching a depleted Warriors squad that competed last season. Kevin Durant left for Brooklyn then Stephen Curry and Draymond Green had injury troubles. And it came as no surprise that the team failed to make the playoffs, only managing 15 wins in 65 games.
The Warriors finished the last season as the worst team in the NBA, a far cry from the incredible run in the previous campaigns. The team figured in the NBA Finals of the last five season before their forgettable performance in 2019-20 and captured three league championships.
On his return, Thompson will certainly shoot for the NBA title and if Myers is to be believed, the other half of the Splash Brothers is up for the job. The star is ready for another glorious run in 2020-21.
"Klay looks great ... So, he's back at it. The final piece to his puzzle is live NBA action," NBC Sports quoted as the GSW executive as saying.
Essentially, Myers is saying that what's left for Thompson to get back his grove is to be in the thick of the action. The GM acknowledged that actual game experience is something that a training camp cannot replicate. That is why playing in the NBA next season will make Thompson's recovery and rehab works complete.
Myers stressed: "I mean basketball is so big to him. I mean he grew up -- it's almost like he doesn't know what to do without basketball."
Thompson will play in a league that has become more competitive after only a season of absence. The Warriors will go against teams that can an NBA title when given the opportunity. In the Western Conference, for instance, Thompson's team will need to deal with the Clippers and the Lakers before reaching the Finals.
The Clippers have Kawhi Leonard and the Lakers are looking to defend the crown still leaning on the heroics of Lebron James and Anthony Davis.
Myers, however, is in a better position to assemble a winning squad for next season, according to Clutch Points. The GM can count on the Warriors' core talents that will be healthier when the competition begins. Also, Andrew Wiggins is on his side plus the possibilities of the Dubs' No. 2 pick will bring.
