Klay Thompson reacts to first time coming off the bench since 2012

To say that this has been a tough NBA season for Klay Thompson could be a massive understatement. The Golden State Warriors star has fallen from grace and struggled with his shot all year long.

He was benched down the stretch in back-to-back games for the first time in his career, and he might be falling behind in Steve Kerr’s pecking order for the remainder of the season.

Thompson came off the bench for the first time since 2012 in their win over the Utah Jazz. However, it worked out perfectly, as he went off for 35 points on 13-of-22 shooting, including seven three-pointers.

Klay Thompson Talks About Coming Off The Bench

With that in mind, the four-time NBA champion admitted that coming off the bench was actually a positive for him, as he was able to play with fresh legs. Notably, he claimed to be inspired by Manu Ginobili, one of the greatest Sixth Men in NBA history:

“I thought about Manu Ginobili,” Thompson said. “That guy has four rings and a gold medal, and he came off the bench his whole career. And I don’t think anyone looks down on his Hall of Fame candidacy because he’s one of the greats. I embraced it before tip.”

Following the win, Coach Kerr admitted that he didn’t know whether this was going to be a permanent change or matchup-based, stating that they would be more balanced with rookie Brandon Podziemski starting in his place:

“It doesn’t mean it’s permanent, but as I said, I like that lineup with BP and the other four and Klay coming off the bench gives us a lot of firepower. We’ll give it a little look and we’ll see how it goes from there,” Kerr said.

At the end of the day, Thompson has always been a team player, and he will always do whatever it takes to help the Warriors win, even if that means taking a big step back.