Klay Thompson is officially out for the year as he continues to rehab his surgically repaired ACL he tore in last year’s playoffs.
Klay Thompson will not play for the Golden State Warriors this year, but that’s actually going to be a good thing for the reigning NBA champions.
Thompson was officially ruled out for the year as he rehabs the torn ACL he suffered in the postseason last year. He hasn’t played at all this year and wasn’t expected to return but the door was left open for a late-season return just in case his rehab was going exceedingly well and exceedingly swift too.
The smart move all along was to sit Thompson all year, which is going to be the case, and not run the risk of having him return too soon and risk another injury. The decision to sit Thompson was probably made internally after Stephen Curry was injured after the fourth game of the year. With Curry and Thompson out, the Warriors struggled mightily.
Gone were the days of trying to set the NBA single-season wins record and wondering who would be their opponent in the NBA Finals. The championship window is closed this year with the Warriors an NBA-worst 12-43. But it will open wide next season with the return of Curry, Thompson and the potential No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft. Golden State owns a 2.5 game lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers and Atlanta Hawks for the worst record.
There may not be a Zion Williamson in this year’s draft where there is a consensus franchise player at the top fo the draft but there will be elite talent for the Warriors to pick from.
Georgia’s Anthony Edwards, Memphis’ James Wiseman and LaMelo Ball among the candidates who figure to be top picks. The Warriors never anticipated picking this high in the draft, let alone the prospect of having the top pick after being in the Finals the last four years, winning a pair of titles, however, this could prove to be a blessing as the roster reloads and regroups.
If Curry didn’t get hurt, the Warriors are never in a position to get a top-three pick, and if he was healthy, they could be staring at a first-round playoff exit. It wasn’t how it was supposed to go for the Warriors, but enduring one bad year in the Golden Age of Golden State should be worth it in the long run for fans.
Curry, Thompson, Draymond Green and a top-three pick in the draft will have the Warriors ready to go to battle with the Lakers, Clippers, Nuggets, Jazz and the top teams in the Western Conference and bring another championship back to the bay.