{"id":8705757,"date":"2023-01-04T11:13:23","date_gmt":"2023-01-04T19:13:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.eastbaytimes.com\/?p=8705757&preview=true&preview_id=8705757"},"modified":"2023-01-09T09:04:14","modified_gmt":"2023-01-09T17:04:14","slug":"kurtenbach-klay-thompson-fought-hard-to-find-his-old-form-it-arrived-right-when-the-warriors-needed-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eastbaytimes.com\/2023\/01\/04\/kurtenbach-klay-thompson-fought-hard-to-find-his-old-form-it-arrived-right-when-the-warriors-needed-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Kurtenbach: Klay Thompson fought hard to find his old form. It arrived right when the Warriors needed it"},"content":{"rendered":"

For the past three-and-a-half years, there has been a near-constant questioning of Klay Thompson\u2019s legs.<\/p>\n

First, it was whether he could return to his top form after his ACL injury. Then, it was questioned if he could do the same after tearing his right Achilles tendon before the 2021 season. When he finally returned to the court a few weeks shy of a year ago, the question after two-and-a-half years off was if he had enough spring, enough juice, to be an impact player for the Warriors.<\/p>\n

Thompson has answered the questions.<\/p>\n

Approaching the one-year anniversary of his return to the court, he\u2019s proven his legs are strong enough to carry a team.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s important to note that Thompson was a vital player for the Warriors on their title run last year. When he plays, they win.<\/p>\n

But with Steph Curry out since Dec. 14, the Warriors have needed the old Klay Thompson \u2014 the impossibly incendiary shooter, the dogged defender.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s arrived.<\/p>\n

\"Golden
Golden State Warriors\u2019 Klay Thompson (11) shoots and makes a three-point basket during overtime of their NBA game at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 2, 2023. Thompson\u2019s basket would send the game into double overtime. The Golden State Warriors defeated the Atlanta Hawks 143-141 in double overtime. (Jose Carlos Fajardo\/Bay Area News Group) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In Thompson\u2019s last five games, he\u2019s been incredible on the offensive end, averaging 33.6 points per game \u2014 including a 54-point game against the Hawks on Monday. What\u2019s more telling: He\u2019s moving around the court with a fluidity we had not seen since his return, bringing back his trademark punctuality. No one in the NBA finds themselves in the right place at the right time better than a full-strength Thompson.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen he gets hot, there\u2019s not too many players that can score like him,\u201d Kevon Looney said of Thompson.<\/p>\n

The Warriors haven\u2019t needed Thompson\u2019s old defensive skills for the majority of the time Curry has been sidelined. Remember, Thompson was once the Warriors\u2019 defensive ace; the man they\u2019d sic on the opposition\u2019s top perimeter player. You can credit the emergence of Jonathan Kuminga and the steady professionalism of Donte DiVincenzo for Thompson being able to cede that role.<\/p>\n

Yet there Thompson was on Monday, dropping 54 points while playing 46 minutes of high-energy defense and switching onto Atlanta\u2019s Trae Young, forcing him into awful shots, and locking down Dejounte Murray.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a huge accomplishment for myself,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cSeeing [Atlanta broadcaster and Hall of Famer] Dominique Wilkins before the game, and talking to him, telling him how much of an inspiration he was for me, coming back from an Achilles [injury] to average in the high 20s after a decade of playing. That inspired me to be myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Golden
Golden State Warriors\u2019 Klay Thompson #11 heads down court in the first quarter of their NBA game against the Charlotte Hornets at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2022. (Jane Tyska\/Bay Area News Group) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n