Klay Thompson Injury History: How Many Games Has Mavericks’ $50 Million Recruit Missed in His 13-Year NBA Career?

The Dub Nation has their hearts stabbed as Klay Thompson ended his 13-year-long stint with the side. Even though the fans saw this coming, the moment of truth really left everyone in disbelief. The 34-year-old, crushing many hearts, signed a three-year deal worth $50 million with the Dallas Mavericks. The trade has indeed raised the stakes for the Dallas side after their disappointing 2024 Finals campaign. But the only question is: Can the star deliver the same quality that he carried before the 2019 tragedy?

Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic stormed to the NBA Finals with a dominating playoff run. However, in the Finals series, the duo didn’t seem to have an answer for the Boston Celtics. The stars barely had any space for themselves and eventually, they went on to lose the series, with a 4-1 embarrassment. This left the experts to address the only thing that can resurrect them and that is to stack the Mavs’ unit with a shooting threat.

Much before the trade materialized, Kendrick Perkins suggested Klay Thompson‘s name to fill in the missing piece. Notably, it was immediately disregarded by Stephen A. Smith, saying Doncic would rarely get rid of the ball from his hands. However, the basketball gods did their trick and China Klay, leaving the Warriors with a retired jersey no. as he’s been promised, now plays for the Texas side.

There is no doubt that Thompson would increase the width of the Mavs duo on the floor with his presence. But, can he make the same difference that he made with Stephen Curry & Co. before the 2019 injury? Following two back-to-back injuries, dreadfully keeping him off the court for two seasons, Klay faced a lot of criticism on his return. Especially regarding his fitness and his impact. During the two-season gap, he missed 137 games, and in total, he has missed 230 regular season games in his career.

Let’s take a look at the timeline of injuries that hampered the 5x All-Star’s prime.

A look back at Klay Thompson’s bumpy ride- 2,481 three-pointers later

Just like every single NBA star, Klay Thompson has gone through multiple minor injuries in his career. His knee, ankle, and back have been the repeated enemies of the shooting star in his 13-season-long career. However, this list doesn’t end here. Apart from the minor niggles, he went through immense agony for 941 days. It stripped off two prime years from the sharpshooter.

It all began with a nasty fall in the 2019 NBA Finals. With the Golden State Warriors already short of Kevin Durant, they took on the Toronto Raptors in Game 6 with 2-3 down in the series. In the third quarter, Thompson ran up the lane for a dunk in a fast break and took a nasty fall on his left knee after Josh Green collided with him. The star stayed on the court, made the free throws, and subbed out. The team went on to lose the Championship in that game.

Later, on June 14, 2019, the team announced that Klay tore the ACL on his left knee.

Days later, on July 1, he signed a 5-year deal for $190 million despite the update that he would miss an entire season. The subsequent updates revealed that the star had been progressing well. However, on November 18, 2020, an update shook the Dub nation. After recovering from his left knee injury, the star had torn his Achilles in his right leg during an off-season workout. This again ruled him out for another season.

The team didn’t qualify for the playoffs in both seasons. The team also lingered at the bottom of the table on one of the occasions, with a shabby 15-50 record. Eventually, he returned to the floor after 941 days on January 9, 2022, in a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He scored 17 points in a winning cause during his 20-minute stay on the court.

Nevertheless, the injuries made a drastic change in the star’s game.

Klay was known for his off-the-ball capabilities, scoring off of screens. He could manipulate defenders both as a shooter and a cutter. However, his agility has drastically come down after the injury return. The star seemed to have most relied on catch-and-shoot, which has considerably reduced his movement with the ball.

Despite the restrictions in his play, the star helped the side to win the 2022 NBA Championship, averaging 19 points with a 3-point shooting percentage of 38.5 in the 2022 playoffs. Interestingly, while he has missed 230 regular season games in his career, he has so far missed only 1 playoff game for the Dubs. Out of the 159 playoff games, he has played 158, averaging 19.2 points per game.

Moreover, Klay Thompson is still a grave threat to his opponents despite his limitations. The star has indeed found a capable roster to bag his 5th ring. Considering the dishing-out abilities of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, the NBA world is in for a treat next season.

Before you go, do not forget to check out Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, to open up about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud. Keep checking this space for more such updates.