The Warriors have arguably the greatest shooting backcourt of all time, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, the Splash Brothers. At the peak of their powers they won a championship, and when they added Kevin Durant they were absolutely unstoppable. Unfortunately during the 2019 season, Thompson injured himself and has yet to play a minute of basketball since. The Warriors thought he would return last season to help them press back into contention, but an injury on NBA draft day foiled their plans. Klay added another season of rehab, and now hopes to make his triumphant return
Before top sportsbooks watched Kevin Durant this season, I would have written a column asserting there is no way that Klay Thompson will be the player that he once was. Players coming back from an Achilles injury have been inferior statistically except for Dominique Wilkins, but he was aided by the shortening of the three point line in the season that he returned. I did not believe Kevin Durant will be able to be as effective, but anyone watching the NBA Playoffs saw that this Kevin Durant was just as good as the Kevin Durant on the Warriors.
Once ACL injuries were the kiss of death. Now ACL injuries mean 12 to 18 months off. Through the miracles of modern medicine, Achilles now may have the same recuperative possibilities. An Achilles injury is no longer a kiss of death on a player’s superstardom.
Klay will still definitely be able to shoot at an enviable efficiency. When asked who was a better shooter between Steph Curry and Klay Thompson teammate Andre Igodoula commented, “It depends on whether or not Klay wants to play with his dog that day.” Thompson has the purest shooting stroke we have ever seen and holds the NBA record for 37 points in a quarter. Klay will be the same player on the offensive end. Having Steph and Klay back to their sharpshooting ways will put the league on notice!
The concern for Klay will be his ability to defend after the injury. Klay is special because he was an elite defender as well as a sharpshooter. Oftentimes during the Warrior’s magical 3rd quarter runs (which every bettor love being involved in from 2016 to 2018), the runs were keyed by Klay’s defensive brilliance. With Klay shutting down the opposing team’s top scorer, the defense could focus on weaker options, get the stop, and get out in transition. The Warriors 3 point shooting is deadly in transition. The Warriors need the Klay that is an elite defensive stopper to come back in order to be able to execute these devastating, game-changing runs.
Once again referring to Kevin Durant, I wouldn’t have believed it was possible for Klay to be as effective before I watched Durant with the Nets this season. Durant came in and dominated on the defensive end of the floor as well as the offensive end. Durant and Klay have the same love of basketball and we can expect each player to bounce back to the best of their ability. Therefore, for our NBA picks, I do expect Klay to become the player he once was for at least two or three more seasons.
With that being said I do believe the NBA odds are discounting the Warriors’ chance of winning a championship. If Klay does return to be the player that he was before the injury this team will contend for the playoffs and have the motivation to make a deadline move to bolster the roster even further. I do believe that Klay Thompson will return to be the same player you are getting value in NBA odds on the Golden State Warriors’ chance to win the championship next season. Healthy Klay will give the front office the motivation to make a midseason move that could potentially put them over the top.
Right now at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review), the NBA odds for the 2022 championship for the Warriors are +900. If we get video, reports, or general news that Klay is healthy or the odds on the Warriors climb out further it might be time to pounce on this position. As other teams make moves they may also leapfrog the Warriors in the NBA odds. This is a fluid situation worth monitoring as the league enters its yearly upheaval in the draft free agency and preseason trading.