NBA Week 9 Rewind: Warriors show grit behind the spectacle
By Tom West
Under-the-radar Players to Watch Next Week
Klay Thompson probably doesn’t seem like someone who can be described as “under-the-radar”. If you watch the Splash Brothers highlights all the time, you certainly won’t think so. Yet, besides Stephen Curry and the general buzz surrounding the Warriors’ 28-1 start, most of the remaining attention has gone to Draymond Green due to his elevated play and 6th place ranking in assists (7.1 per game). With that in mind, it feels as though Thompson hasn’t been acknowledged as much as he should have.
It’s partly due to the slow way he started the 2015-16 season. Over the first two weeks, he only averaged 15.2 points per game and shot 38.6 percent from three, which, despite those being perfectly respectable numbers, are fairly moderate for Thompson.
Over his last 10 games, though, he’s averaged 24.7 points per game on 48.5 percent shooting, with a mark of 46.7 percent from three. Not to mention his 10 threes and 39 points against the Pacers on December 8, and 43 points on 15-22 shooting against the Suns on December 16.
Curry has been so good that the rest of the Warriors, including his Splash Brother, have been overlooked at times. Thompson has been recording the kind of heat-check games recently that should catapult him up the All-Star voting, and give him a little more recognition while Curry steals most of the glory.
J.J. Redick is another sharpshooter who’s worth keeping an eye on over the next week or so. Blake Griffin is currently out for at least two weeks with a partially torn quadricep, which leaves the Los Angeles Clippers without their leading scorer and most consistent offensive weapon. In the meantime, they have the perfect opportunity to increase the workload and utilize the talent of Redick from the perimeter.
In the Clippers’ last game in a win over the Jazz, Redick went off for 25 points on just 11 shots. He went 72.7 percent from the floor and 5-of-7 from three, which means that it was more his efficiency than an increased role that led to his high production. That being said, while Griffin is out, it would be best for the Clippers to run more set plays, high screens, and hand-offs to create more opportunities for him. When Redick’s shots are dropping, L.A.’s offense opens up so much more.
He creates more space in the paint as defenders try and keep up with his movement, and he’s almost impossible to stop when he rolls off screens. He’s also shooting a career-high 46.9 percent from three this season and is raising the team’s offensive rating by a ridiculous 17.2 points per 100 possessions when he’s on the floor. Without Griffin, it’s time for the Clippers to maximize what he has to offer.