Klay Thompson’s return is ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ for Golden State Warriors

SAN FRANCISCO — Klay Thompson is still a ways off from making his return to the court for the Golden State Warriors, but they’re already getting an emotional lift from the thought of adding their beloved shooting star to the mix.

“I think Klay’s imminent return is a huge factor for our team. There’s a sense of anticipation and energy that is directly linked to Klay’s return,” coach Steve Kerr said Tuesday. “There’s just a very good sense of who we are and what’s ahead, and I think everybody’s excited about it.”

The Warriors have won five of their first six games, despite two big missing pieces that will fit into the puzzle as the season progresses. Golden State got good news on James Wiseman to begin the week, when he was cleared to resume all team activities at practice.

Thompson, who has missed back-to-back seasons with tears in his left ACL then his right Achilles, continues to make “incremental” progress in his recovery, Kerr said Tuesday. Further away than Wiseman, Thompson hasn’t yet been cleared to rejoin team drills but has been showing off his cutting, dribbling and dunking abilities, in addition to his signature stroke, on his own hoop in practice.

“On the injury front, we’re seeing his progress is … more week to week rather than day to day,” Kerr said. “But we can see him getting stronger and getting more comfortable and getting quicker with his cutting and his movement laterally. It’s all very exciting. We’re just thrilled to at least finally have the light at the end of the tunnel.”

It has been nearly a year since Thompson underwent surgery on his right Achilles, Nov. 25, 2020.

So far, so good, according to rookie Moses Moody, who is getting his first look up close at one of the all-time great shooters. Moody, 19, had only admired Thompson from afar before Golden State drafted him, but he said “Klay looks like Klay.”

“He’s in the gym as much, if not more than, everybody else, doing what he can on the court, doing what he can off the court in the weight room. He still puts his uniform on and sits on the bench. All that stuff shows he’s mentally there,” Moody said. “It’s gonna be scary when he gets to unleash two years of frustration. I wouldn’t want to be on the other side of that.”

Thompson, 31, is supposed to be cleared to return to full team practice by mid-November, according to a report two weeks ago by NBA insider Shams Charania. ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reported in August that the Warriors were targeting a Christmas timeline for his return to the court.

Kerr has said Thompson’s first game back with the Warriors will come at Chase Center, possibly at the behest of those above him. Owner Joe Lacob daydreamed about the night on a recent NBC Sports Bay Area broadcast.

“Everyone loves Klay Thompson,” Lacob said. “I cannot wait until the day he steps on this floor and plays again. It going to be one of the all-time great days of Warriors basketball.”