The only reason more people don’t say Klay Thompson is the greatest shooter in NBA history is that he shares the court with Stephen Curry. Otherwise, it would be a much more heated debate.
However, as great and efficient as he is, he’s having a tough start to the season, and the Golden State Warriors need him to get his act together right now. They cannot afford to have him and Andrew Wiggins missing wide-open shots night in and night out.
Thompson has been under heavy fire this season. That’s why he recently burst out at his critics and those who believe he could be better coming off the bench, stating that he just doesn’t care about what people have to say anymore:
“I don’t care what people say,” Thompson said. “It’s like, they don’t do what we do. They can’t do what we do. That’s why they talk. Why would I? Like, come on. I don’t care what people say at this point in my life, ha! Next question.”
Stephen A. Smith Rips Thompson Over Latest Comments
Needless to say, those comments didn’t rub a lot of people the right way. ESPN pundit Stephen A. Smith, for one, thinks Thompson should take a deep look in the mirror and work on his game instead of going against the fans:
“This is one of the greatest shooters in NBA history,” Smith said on First Take. “But that ain’t what you’ve been looking like. You’ve been playing like hot trash. That is the bottom line. We expect better from Klay Thompson. We know what kind of a champion he is. And respectfully, that right there what he said before the game last night, is a flat-out cop-out.”
Smith reaffirmed his belief in Thompson being one of the best players in the game, which is why he believes his careless attitude isn’t doing him any favors right now:
“That’s about you not owning up to the fact that you‘re not doing the kind of things we know you can do,” Smith continued. “We know you’re capable of doing. And you’re just shrugging it off like you don’t give a damn. Maybe you should give a damn.“
His Future Is Under The Scope
Truth be told, Thompson is one of the players under the most pressure in the league right now. He failed to reach an agreement on a contract extension, and he’s likely to become an unrestricted free agent in the offseason.
He’s always talked about his desire to stay in the Bay area for the remainder of his career, but the Warriors seem to have second thoughts about signing him to a big contract. Needless to say, this kind of play isn’t helping his case to get the payday he’s looking for.
Thus far, the four-time NBA champion is averaging roughly over 15 points per game on 40% from the floor, which is far below his career averages. The team owes him a lot, and they should do right by him. But this is a ruthless business, and with the new CBA hampering all team’s abilities to put together multiple big contracts, this could be a major issue in the summer.
SURVEY Will Thompson turn things around?
Will Thompson turn things around?
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