“It’s Hard for Anybody”: Klay Thompson Gets Painfully Introspective After Major Snub in Warriors Win

The Golden State Warriors got a much-needed win against the Brooklyn Nets tonight. Stephen Curry and Co. decimated the Nets 109-98 on their home court. Despite the Warriors coming out victorious, it was a forgettable night for Klay Thompson. Head coach Steve Kerr stuck to his decision from recent games and sat Klay out during the closing minutes of the Nets clash.

The Warriors’ head coach benched Klay in the final minutes and replaced him with 21-year-old rookie Gui Santos. Klay has not finished as many games for the Warriors as he usually does because of his massive decline in performance this season. After the game, Klay went into introspective mode and revealed how it felt to get snubbed in the Warriors win.

“Yeah, you kidding me? To go from one of the best players. It’s hard for anybody,” Klay responded to the reporter in the locker room. He had only 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists in 30 minutes of play.

Klay seemed heartbroken during the post-game interview despite the Warriors winning the game. He is not used to being benched in crunch time because of how great of a player he is. And it is a hard adjustment for Klay to settle into his new role. While Klay was busy introspecting, his teammate Draymond Green dropped a harsh reality check that might have comforted him.

“I got benched in Game 5 of the Finals. Who the fu*k cares?” Green yelled in the middle of Klay’s interview. That shows even a star player can get benched if he is not playing up to his potential, and it is nothing to worry about.

Steve Kerr stood by the decision to bench Klay Thompson

After the game, Steve Kerr revealed why he picked Gui Santos over Klay Thompson to close the game. “If the group’s playing well, you stay with that group,” Kerr responded. The young Warriors players stepped up and played great tonight.

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Gui Santos, Lester Quinones, and Moses Moody came off the bench and played key roles in the Warriors’ win. Gui finished the game outscoring Klay Thompson with 9 points and 5 rebounds. Kerr did not want to break the Warriors’ momentum by making a change in the lineup.

Kerr also claimed that Klay was doing fine after the decision because he was mentally tough. It is not easy for a player who is used to being one of the best players on the team to see himself become older and less productive. But Klay has coped well with the reality, and Kerr claimed he will get plenty of chances to close the games in the future.

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