Klay Thompson is willing to accept a reduced role with Kevin Durant in Golden State
By Andre Pruitt
Klay Thompson is willing to accept a reduced role with Kevin Durant on board.
With the Golden State Warriors signing Kevin Durant in free agency, there will be a lot of hefty expectations next year. Durant is joining Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green in Golden State, and they may have formed one of the best teams in NBA history, on paper at least.
Yet with all that firepower on one team, the fact still remains that there is only one basketball allowed on the court, and someone must sacrifice.
One of the stars that may sacrifice is Klay Thompson, as Durant and Curry’s shots will likely come first. Thompson enjoyed a career year last season with averages of nearly 24 points and four rebounds per game.
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Thompson seems to be completely fine with accepting a reduced role with the Warriors. According to Ethan Sherwood Strauss of ESPN.com, with regards to a reduced role next season, Thompson said, “I look at a guy like Manu Ginobili. Never averaged more than 20 points a game, but he’s a four-time champion, you know?”
Thompson also said, with regards to a preference of having a higher volume of shots or fewer open shots, that “Definitely open shots … it’s easier to be more efficient when you’re getting open looks. So I definitely go with the latter.”
It’s good to see that Thompson is a team player and is willing to sacrifice. Even though he’ll see a decrease in volume of shots, a swap to less but more efficient shots shouldn’t hurt his scoring too much.
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