Golden State Warriors: 5 bold predictions for 2017-18 NBA season

2. Klay Thompson misses the All-Star team

Regardless of what Thompson says, he is the Warriors superstar who sacrificed the most in Durant’s first season.

Midway through a playoff run in which his shot attempts dropped from 17.6 (in the regular season) to 13.9, he learned of his All-NBA snub. He was named an All-Star, but that should change this year.

Golden State Warriors

Last year, only four Western Conference guards made the cut: Thompson, Curry, James Harden and Russell Westbrook. The latter three are annual locks, and a healthy Chris Paul is a near-sure thing.

With the departure of one All-Star forward (Gordon Hayward) and the influx of three (Jimmy Butler, Paul George, Paul Millsap), there’s no reason to believe a fifth guard spot will open up. Durant, Kawhi Leonard and Anthony Davis aren’t going anywhere, and there won’t be a shortage of centers with Karl-Anthony Towns and Nikola Jokic joining a fray that already consisted of Marc Gasol, DeMarcus Cousins, Rudy Gobert and DeAndre Jordan.

We haven’t even mentioned Blake Griffin and Damian Lillard, the latter of whom was left off the team solely due to his team’s pre-All-Star struggles.

Thompson’s best chance at an All-Star berth would likely come at the expense of his own teammate in Green. No matter how good the Warriors are, the West is simply too loaded now to devote a third of its roster to one team.

If last year’s All-NBA voting is any indication, it is Thompson who is seen as the No. 4 guy — and hence, the odd man out.