Getty Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors.
After an early season filled with struggles, the Golden State Warriors have run into even more challenges as of late. Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins are both dealing with injuries, and in turn, the Warriors will be forced to make do and stay afloat in the playoff race.
With Curry and Wiggins on the sideline, the rest of the squad will have to step it up. Jordan Poole will likely take over as the go-to scorer, but Klay Thompson will need to maintain his success, too. However, the veteran star said that he’s not going to put too much pressure on himself.
“I’m not going to put any extra pressure on myself,” Thompson said via Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “I’m going to go out there play my game, trust my teammates. I’m not going to add extra pressure to score a certain amount, carry the team. I’ll just get in my own way.”
Early in the season, Thompson struggled with his shot. He wasn’t meeting the same standards that he met before the injury, which is understandable, considering this is the first full season he’s played since his back-to-back season-ending injuries.
Now, he’ll be looked at to take on more responsibilities as the Warriors wait for Curry to return to the lineup. So far this year, he’s appeared in 24 of the team’s 30 games and is playing 30.9 minutes per contest. The veteran star is averaging 18.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game on 39.8% shooting from the field and 38.4% shooting from behind the three-point line.
Warriors Warned After Stephen Curry Injury
Curry’s injury could force the Warriors to make some important decisions. They’ve struggled a lot this season, and with Curry set to miss significant time, Dan Favale of Bleacher Report warned that they should make some quick decisions regarding the trade market.
“More urgently than ever, the Warriors must now look inward and decide, once and for all, whether it’s officially time to look outward.
“If they care at all about this season, about respecting Steph’s timeline when he returns, they will make a trade. It doesn’t necessarily need to be for a star. They might have the ammo, but that market doesn’t seem to exist right now.
“Targeting flat-out upgrades is fine. A stretchy big who can still move to pair with Kuminga, depth and size on the wings and, of course, another ball-handler or self-starter who doesn’t crimp the spacing would all be essential additions. But the Warriors must commit to ponying up for them,” Favale wrote.
Andrew Wiggins Could Return From Injury Soon
Thompson and Poole have the talent to carry the Warriors on the offensive end, but without Wiggins and Poole, their depth will take a massive hit. Luckily for Golden State, they recently received a positive update on the health of Wiggins.
“Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins, who has missed the team’s last five games, was re-evaluated earlier today in Philadelphia,” the update read. “Following the evaluation, Wiggins has been cleared to participate in practices/shootarounds with the team. His return to play will be determined by his continued progress.”