NBA Analyst Makes a Wild Prediction for Warriors Around Klay Thompson’s Return

The Golden State Warriors’ have looked like a decent team with 11 wins in the 20 games they have played. Much of it has been due to the return of Steph Curry and Draymond Green.

While Curry has taken control in the offensive end, Draymond has taken control in the defensive end. The Warriors saw the return of one of their superstars yesterday in Klay Thompson.

Although he is out for the whole season with an Achilles injury, it was a welcome sight to see Klay back with his teammates. NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith, in a recent appearance on ESPN’s the First Take, was full of praises for Klay.

He said, “I have been on the record saying that Steph Curry is the greatest shooter known to man. And in the history of mankind, that there has never been a greatest shooter.

“Klay Thompson is one of the Top-5 shooters in the history of basketball. Klay Thompson, if he never played another game, is a Hall of Famer.”

He also gave some context to how special the Splash brothers are. “By the way, Dame Dolla shot 40% from three last year. Steph Curry has done it for his entire career. You know who else has done it for his entire career. That will be Klay Thompson.

“Eight years in the NBA. He has shot better than 40% from three-point range. He’s got a 19 point career scoring average. He’s averaged over 20 his last 5 years in the NBA.”

After mentioning all these insane stats about Curry and Klay, Stephen A. made a very bold statement and said that the Warriors will be competing for the NBA championship next season.

“If Klay Thompson comes back healthy, and Steph Curry is healthy with Klay and Wiseman and Draymond. I reserve the right to revisit this conversation about whether or not the Warriors are gonna win the chip next year. I mean immediately that’s how elite of shooters they are.”

The Warriors will certainly be a competitive team with Klay on floor and given the chemistry Green, Curry and Thompson have, there is absolutely no doubt that the Warriors could certainly be championship contenders almost immediately.

For now, though, their focus will be on making it to the Playoffs.

Can the Warriors make it to the Playoffs without Klay Thompson?

The Golden State Warriors have been pretty inconsistent this season. They haven’t won more than 2 games in a row. It is understandable, given the new-look roster. But the Dubs have flashes of being a good team with some all-round performances this season.

The biggest variable for the Dubs is the form of Kelly Oubre Jr. The 6’7″ guard, who was brought in to replace Klay Thompson, has been one of the most inconsistent players on the roster. They have been games where he puts up 25 points a game and in some games, he ends up scoring 4 points.

It’s about time that he steps up and brings some much-needed consistency to his game. Andrew Wiggins, on the other hand, has been pretty consistent so far, putting up some decent performances defensively and adding at least 15-20 points per game.

The Warriors have been dependent on Steph Curry so far, who has held his end of the bargain. In the 20 games he has played, he has averaged 27.7 points, 6.1 assists, and 5.4 rebounds per game.

If the other players around him step up, then we surely will see the Golden State Warriors make it to the Playoffs this season.