Golden State Warriors: 5 Reasons Keeping Klay Thompson Makes Sense

1. Thompson’s Potential:

Will Klay Thompson ever be an All-Star? Probably not. Is Kevin Love superior to Thompson in every category except defense and three-point shooting? Yes. But  for this decision to really make sense down the road, Warriors fans will have to hope that Thompson really does have as bright a future as they think. Thompson is already one of the league’s best shooting guards, but that’s more a testament to the depth of the position in the NBA these days than it is to Thompson’s skill.

He’s an excellent three-point shooter, he put up 18.4 points per game last season and as we’ve already covered, his defense is what helps Golden State be a top-five defense in the NBA. But Thompson definitely has areas of his game to work on, including his tendency to become a black hole on offense when he gets the ball. Thompson can’t really create his own shot, he needs to improve attacking the basket and I’m starting to believe Oracle Arena is just as loud groaning after he misses a wide open Steph Curry as it is when he’s raining down threes.

Not to make a “Sarah is better than Liz” kind of argument here, but Thompson will never be as good as Love. However, he doesn’t really have to be to make this the right decision for the Warriors. The two are completely different players! The “what ifs?” will start raining down if there’s a drought of threes from Thompson, but Golden State reaffirmed their faith in him by making him off limits, which will only help his confidence.

The potential of Golden State’s young shooting guard is one of the biggest reasons this decision came to be. Whether or not you buy in to his ceiling is up to you, but whether or not he actually continues to progress remains to be seen. And unless/until Thompson fails, it makes sense to give this young player the benefit of the doubt.