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RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – AUGUST 10: Klay Thompson of USA in action during the men’s preliminary round group A match between USA and Australia at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on August 10, 2016. (Photo by Okan Ozer/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
via Getty
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – AUGUST 10: Klay Thompson of USA in action during the men’s preliminary round group A match between USA and Australia at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on August 10, 2016. (Photo by Okan Ozer/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
The Golden State Warriors have been one of the best teams this decade. With a dismal 2019-20 season plagued with injuries, the Dubs were all for competing to be the best.
Hours before the NBA draft, multiple reports emerged that Warriors’ star man Klay Thompson had suffered from an injury to his lower right leg. The Dubs confirmed the news on Twitter.
Warriors guard Klay Thompson suffered a leg injury today during a workout in Southern California. No other details are available at this time. We will provide further updates as appropriate.
— Warriors PR (@WarriorsPR) November 18, 2020
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The extent of the injury still remains unknown. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Warriors still have some optimism that Thompson may not miss the entire season.
"There's still some optimism that Klay Thompson may not miss the entire season."@wojespn provides an update on the Warriors star: pic.twitter.com/pZiS6W3Mfu
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 19, 2020
What should Warriors do now?
The injury to their star man Klay Thompson is a disaster for the Warriors, who were hoping to be the best in the NBA once again. The Dubs see stars like Draymond Green and Steph Curry return from long injuries which is a good sign.
The Steph Curry-led Warriors have already drafted an outstanding talent in James Wiseman. Wiseman fills the all-important center position and can learn from Draymond Green. The Dubs will also benefit from Wiseman’s athleticism and defensive prowess.
The 2019-20 season has also given the Warriors some good players in Andrew Wiggins and Eric Paschall. Wiggins, the primary scorer was inconsistent, which is a major cause of concern.
via Getty
Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry (30) is congratulated by teammate Golden State Warriors’ Klay Thompson (11) after Curry sinks a three-pointer in the final minute of the game in the fourth quarter of their game at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2014. Golden State defeats Brooklyn 93-86. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) (Photo by MediaNews Group/Bay Area News via Getty Images)
A player of Thompson’s caliber cannot be replaced. But the Dubs can try to bring some good perimeter shooters in order to compensate for some of the losses.
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The Warriors have a $17 million trade exception guaranteed. They can use this to bring in a player like Kelly Oubre Jr. Oubre can play multiple roles. He can add points and defend taking some pressure off Green.
The Dubs can bring former player Justin Holiday. The 31-year-old is a great perimeter shooter and over the years has become a great defender.
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Holiday will be a cheaper option and the team can go and add some other perimeter shooter like Davis Bertans from the free agency.
If the Warriors star man does not recover for the entire season, the Warriors may find it very tough to compete. It will be intriguing to see how they approach the season.
