Last summer, I — like many NBA writers at the time — harshly criticized the Golden State Warriors for not being willing to include Klay Thompson in a potential trade for Kevin Love.
Months later, as I sit here eating a nice big bowl of crow, the 24-year-old shooting guard is poised to make his first NBA All-Star Game.
I predicted a breakout season for Thompson in October, sure. But nobody saw this kind of vast growth coming, especially combined with Kevin Love’s statistical decay over in Cleveland. I mean, did anyone think Thompson would be the more valuable player at this point in the season than Love?
Yet here we are. But even with Thompson proving that management’s faith in him was not misplaced, as of a few weeks ago, Thompson seemed like he was on the cusp of making the All-Star cut, but that he’d likely fall short.
Stephen Curry, Kobe Bryant, Blake Griffin, Anthony Davis and Marc Gasol make up the starting five for the Western Conference, but with Kobe out for the season due to a shoulder injury, there’s a very good chance Thompson earns one of the seven reserve spots on the roster.
Of those remaining spots, two go to guards, three go to frontcourt players and the final two are wildcards that can be any position. But with the Black Mamba unfortunately out for the season, that means there are a possible eight total spots, with a maximum of five going to guards.
Draymond on Klay: "When are they announcing he’s going to New York (for the All-Star Game)? That’s pretty much all I can say."
— Rusty Simmons (@JRustySimmons) January 24, 2015
The West is stacked with talent, so nothing is guaranteed. James Harden, Russell Westbrook, DeMarcus Cousins and Damian Lillard are virtual locks. Chris Paul has a very good chance as well, as do the injured (but still playing) LaMarcus Aldridge and the I’ve Only Played Half The Season But I’m Still Kevin Freaking Durant.
If all seven of those players make the cut, Thompson still has a shot since there’d be one roster spot left. He’d have some pretty stiff competition, with guys like Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki, Zach Randolph, Dwight Howard, Monta Ellis and Mike Conley all in the mix. But I’d argue Thompson deserves it over any of them.
As much as Dirk and Duncan are still going strong in their “old” age, the All-Star Game would be so much better if it strayed away from being a lifetime achievement award and actually rewarded the best and most exciting players from the season.
I know, I know. The All-Star Game is for the fans. But isn’t it also true the fans wouldn’t mind seeing a guy who can drop an NBA-record 37 points in a quarter make the cut?
I’ll admit this is a pretty conveniently timed article, coming less than 48 hours after Thompson put on the finest shooting display of the 2014-15 season. But that 52-point outburst wasn’t some one-game fluke. Thompson has been playing the best basketball of his career and is quite possibly the best two-way shooting guard in the NBA.
In 2015, he’s cranked up his scoring output, just in time to grab the attention of the coaches who will vote in the All-Star reserves (and one starter — most likely the Bearded One — to replace Kobe). For the month of January, Thompson is averaging 26.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.4 blocks per game while shooting 54.3 percent from the field and 54.1 percent from downtown.
Considering he’s taking 7.7 threes per game over that span, Thompson’s en fuego shooting month has been nothing short of remarkable. I’m still taking James Harden over any shooting guard in the association, but this Splash Brother is making it a real conversation.
Thompson’s breakthrough has been a work in progress since he first entered the league. His fourth season actually is less of a breakout year than it is the result of steady progression toward stardom:
| Season | Age | G | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-12 | 21 | 66 | 24.4 | 4.8 | 10.9 | .443 | 1.7 | 4.1 | .414 | .868 | 2.4 | 2.0 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 12.5 |
| 2012-13 | 22 | 82 | 35.8 | 6.2 | 14.7 | .422 | 2.6 | 6.4 | .401 | .841 | 3.7 | 2.2 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 16.6 |
| 2013-14 | 23 | 81 | 35.4 | 6.9 | 15.5 | .444 | 2.8 | 6.6 | .417 | .795 | 3.1 | 2.2 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 18.4 |
| 2014-15 | 24 | 40 | 32.3 | 8.0 | 16.8 | .478 | 3.2 | 7.0 | .459 | .870 | 3.5 | 3.1 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 22.6 |
| Career | 269 | 32.4 | 6.3 | 14.3 | .443 | 2.5 | 6.0 | .419 | .838 | 3.2 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 17.0 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 1/24/2015.
Klay Thompson is putting up career high numbers despite playing three fewer minutes per game under Steve Kerr. He’s never been more efficient, more balanced or more deadly attacking the basket. Defense doesn’t matter for All-Star purposes because it’s basically a glorified pickup game, but shouldn’t his two-way play count for something?
The fact that his 2014-15 campaign actually makes him a deserving candidate should be what matters. But even if his pesky wing defense is meaningless here, his ability to light up the nets like a living embodiment of NBA Jam is exactly what the All-Star Game is about.
I’m not expecting any 37-point quarters or anything similarly monumental, but after what we saw Friday night, the world deserves the possibility of a Klay Thompson heat check in the NBA All-Star Game.