Golden State Warriors fans have been waiting for the return of All-Star guard Klay Thompson for two seasons now, and he's slated to finally rejoin his teammates during the upcoming campaign. The only question is: when?
Thompson ruptured his Achilles tendon in November 2020 (after tearing his ACL during the 2019 NBA Finals) and with a standard one-year recovery time for Achilles injuries, he could be healthy in November of this year, roughly one month into the regular season.
According to The Athletic's Anthony Slater, however, the Warriors will take their time with Thompson. No surprise there. But he mentioned the word "February" in explaining Golden State's possible gameplan with Stephen Curry's Splash Brother while on the Warriors flagship radio station, 95.7 The Game.
"They need Klay Thompson to be back to himself in February, March, April, May, June; and that's the focus," Slater said. "If that means he misses the first 20 games and then is only playing 20 minutes for a month when he returns, I think that's okay to them if they feel like the end goal is: Klay Thompson looks somewhat like himself the last 25 games and then into the playoffs."
Anthony Slater/95.7 The Game
Thompson playing just 20 minutes a game? That would be strange.
But after missing two full NBA seasons, that's probably a smart plan for Thompson's comeback. As long as the Warriors can add a few quality players to its roster -- even via their two lottery picks -- Golden State can easily integrate a gradual return of Thompson.
The squad just missed the playoffs without him in 2020-21, with Curry playing his way into NBA MVP contention. To win an NBA title, however, Thompson must be at full strength. All the best minds within the Golden State Warriors franchise are wisely planning for just that.
(Photo courtesy KeithAllisonPhoto.com)
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