NBA

Klay Thompson: Missing another season 'kills me every day'

By Sports Desk January 31, 2021 1727

Klay Thompson described his pain at missing another season due to injury as he saw the Golden State Warriors beat the Detroit Pistons at Chase Center.

Three-time champion Thompson, who has spent his entire career with Golden State, tore his anterior cruciate ligament in the 2019 NBA Finals.

The five-time All-Star subsequently sat out the 2019-20 campaign as the Warriors struggled badly, but the team were set for another run this year.

However, their hopes were hampered by another major setback for Thompson, who suffered an Achilles injury ahead of the season that will keep him out for a further year.

The Warriors have stayed competitive so far in 2020-21, carried by superstar Steph Curry, who has averaged 27.7 points and leads the league in total points with 554.

Golden State moved to 11-9 – good enough for eighth in the West – with their 118-91 defeat of Detroit but are still missing Thompson.

The 30-year-old averaged 21.5 points per game between the start of the 2014-15 season and his first big injury in 2019. The Warriors' next best scorer after Curry this year is Andrew Wiggins on 17.9.

Speaking publicly for the first time since his Achilles blow as part of the NBC Bay Area broadcast team on Saturday, Thompson said: "I'm living good.

"[It is nice] to be back in the building that I'm so eagerly awaiting to play in. I'm just a little bored at times.

"Stuff's slow with trying to let my Achilles heal and get to the next stage, which is mobility work, but I'm feeling good. I'm happy to be with my team-mates, obviously.

"Unfortunately, I'm not playing. It kills me every day, but I plan on playing for a long time, and I don't want to have any mishaps come this rehab."

Thompson watched Curry contribute 28 points against the Pistons, comfortably securing victory to end the week on a high.

Golden State had back-to-back wins against the Minnesota Timberwolves but then lost heavily to the Phoenix Suns prior to the Detroit game.

Coach Steve Kerr said: "I thought we were on edge in a good way. The other night we were embarrassed. We got away from who we are."

Last modified on Sunday, 31 January 2021 08:04
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