Klay Thompson shows no signs of rust in Warriors’ preseason finale
Klay Thompson showed no signs of rust in his preseason debut Friday.
SAN FRANCISCO — Klay Thompson was shaken with anxiety from the morning he woke up Tuesday morning ahead of his preseason debut.
Sure, Thompson has played in nearly 800 NBA games over the course of the last 12 years. But to be back, playing basketball in October for the first time in three years, meant something special to him.
Thompson hadn’t played in a competitive setting since Game 6 of the NBA Finals in June yet the 32-year-old showed no signs of rust Tuesday night in his preseason debut.
The official game stats were unavailable due to the league’s system being down. The Warriors said Thompson had five 3-pointers and finished with a team-high 17 points. Coach Steve Kerr estimated Thompson played 15 or so minutes during his two first-half spurts — on par with what was intended for the shooting guard who had a slower ramp up for the regular season out of an abundance of caution because of his injury history.
At the end of the day, though, those numbers — some that weren’t available after the game — don’t mean a darn thing in an exhibition game for a now-four-time champion like Thompson.
What matters is that he’s back and ready for his first full NBA season since the 2018-19 campaign.
“It felt amazing,” Thompson said after the Warrior fell 119-112 to the Nuggets in their preseason finale. “I don’t take this time for granted, playing October basketball… I am very happy with how I felt out there. It’s really something to build on.”
Thompson’s joy on the court was infectious. After draining one of his shots from deep, a TV camera caught him beaming with a wide grin.
“It’s always fun seeing Klay back, hitting shots,” Andrew Wiggins said. “The energy he brings, that competitive nature that he brings is contagious to all of us.”
Kerr compared Thompson getting hot from beyond the arc to a “religious experience.”
“He’s just kind of in another world and nothing can get in his way,” Kerr said. “His teammates sense that and there’s just this beautiful flow and when he gets hot, that’s the vibe. There’s just a really cool energy that goes through the building and everybody feels it. And it’s really fun to be a part of.”
Thompson had fun Tuesday night. But what brought him as much delight as sinking his five 3-pointers was sharing the court with James Wiseman for the first time.
It’s been well documented, but Thompson and Wiseman formed a special bond as the two went through some grueling days of rehab together in the depths of Chase Center. Thompson was working his way back from a ruptured Achilles tendon in the summer of 2021 and into last season before returning in January, while Wiseman dealt with several setbacks from a knee injury suffered his rookie season.
“We had some dog days in the dungeon,” Thompson said. “So for us to both be out there and make an impact it just gives me butterflies.”
The feeling was mutual.
“It was great,” Wiseman said. “Me and Klay had some hard days, but we worked hard together… we would make sure that we would uplift each other when we were in rehab working with each other. Just to be back, it’s a blessing.”