“Had Fresh Legs”: Benched Klay Thompson Breaks Silence as Sour Night Turns Festive vs Jazz

It looks like Steve Kerr’s decision to bench Klay Thompson in tonight’s game did wonders for him. The Warriors head coach replaced Klay with rookie Brandin Podziemski in the starting line-up against the Utah Jazz. Tonight’s game was the first time since Klay’s rookie season in 2012 that he started a game off the bench. However, Klay was ready to prove himself and went off for 17 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists in the first half.

Klay also reached a huge milestone early in the game, surpassing 15,000 career points. He became only the 6th Warriors player to achieve that feat alongside Stephen Curry, Wilt Chamberlain, Rick Barry, Paul Arizin, and Chris Mullin. Klay crossed the 15,000-point mark with a smooth layup on an assist from Draymond. Klay had no idea about his milestone until half-time and got hyped when he found out about it. “Wow! Let’s go,” Klay said during his half-time interview.

The 4-time Champion also broke his silence about not getting picked in the starting line-up. “Coming off the bench gave me fresh legs, especially off a back-to-back. That was nice.” Klay said. Contrary to what the people thought, Klay had an extremely positive outlook on coming off the bench for the first time in 12 years. The 34-year-old was happy to get some rest early in the game after last night’s battle against the Clippers. He also complimented his teammates for getting him great looks in the first half and helping him shoot 3 of 6 from beyond the arc. Klay was focused on continuing this momentum in the second half and heading into the All-Star break with a win.

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Is Klay Thompson still a superstar?

Klay Thompson showed tonight why he is one of the best players in NBA history. He carried the Warriors throughout the first half and performed even better in the third quarter. Klay continued his incredible form and added 18 more points to his score tally. He shot lights out in the third quarter and drilled 4 three-pointers to take his point total to 35. Tonight’s game is not the first time this season Klay has taken over a game. He has shown glimpses of his former self on multiple occasions.

However, the only problem is Klay has been unable to stay consistent with his performances. He plays great in one game and completely falls apart in another. While he went 7 of 11 from the three-point line in just 3 quarters tonight, he went 1 of 9 from the same range in yesterday’s game against the Clippers. Klay’s inconsistency could be a sign of all the injuries and age catching up to him. But he could still prove a huge asset for the Warriors in the post-season because of his ability to take over a game anytime.

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