Getty Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson
Klay Thompson is looking as healthy as ever in a new video making the rounds on social media.
The Golden State Warriors All-Star shooting guard posted the reel, just a few seconds long, to his Instragram story Thursday night, Aug. 19.
In the recording, Thompson can be seen diving into the corner for a spot up 3-pointer during a shoot-around session in a private gym. He is accompanied by two rebounders/assisters. Leaning to his right, Thompson lets the shot fly. He then lands on a single leg, hopping up and down multiple times on his left foot as if urging the ball into the hoop. He holds for a second to watch it swish through the net before running back the other way to catch another pass for another spot up jumper.
Overtime tweeted the video to its official account Friday morning.
Klay doing what he does BEST 🤫 (via @KlayThompson)
The reel is also accompanied by a brief caption that reads: “Grateful to be doing what I love again. Slowly and surely getting back to myself.”
Thompson Return Long Overdue, Still Not Set in Stone
GettyKlay Thompson reacts to a play in a game against the Toronto Raptors.
It has been more than two years since Thompson took the floor in an NBA basketball game, his last appearance coming in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors, during which he tore the ACL that initially sidelined him for the entirety of the 2019-20 season.
For anyone living under a rock at the time, the Warriors guard then tore his right Achilles’ tendon before the start of the 2020-21 season. The result of Thompson’s absence has been a couple years of basketball purgatory for a Warriors team that played in five consecutive NBA Finals, winning three of them, before their shooting guard went down.
It is known that Thompson, barring any other freak and catastrophic injury setbacks, will make his way onto the floor for the Warriors at some point during the upcoming season. Precisely when that will be is harder to pinpoint, namely because the Golden State organization does not appear sure of its own timeline yet.
Warriors president of basketball operations Bob Myers said in late May, following the team’s Playoff Play-In Tournament loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, that Thompson probably would not suit up for opening night.
The Warriors will kick off the 2021-22 regular season on Oct. 19 against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Possible timelines mentioned by the team have included dates stretching all the way into 2022, with both February and March having been floated by Warriors executives, though possibly as a way to temper expectations and excite fans if and when Thompson is able to return earlier.
Warriors Favored as NBA Final Four Member by Multiple Analysts
GettyThe Golden State Warriors big three of Draymond Green [left], Klay Thompson [center], Steph Curry [right] did not take the court together for two full seasons due to multiple injuries.
The entire big three of Thompson, Draymond Green and Steph Curry will presumably be healthy. All of them are relatively so now, two months out from the start of the year.
Andre Iguodala, the 2015 Finals MVP and a member of every Golden State championship roster, signed a one-year deal to return to the Warriors and finish out his career.
What appears to have been a strong NBA draft picking up the likes of Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody with the 7th and 14th picks in the first round respectively, will complement the return of second-year big man James Wiseman from injury.
Two quality offseason signings in Otto Porter Jr. and Nemanja Bjelica to one-year veterans minimum contracts have rounded out the Warriors roster nicely, even if the team does end up missing out on the fourth superstar it has sought for the last two months.
Both Stephen A. Smith, of ESPN, and Bill Simmons, of The Ringer, have said they believe the Warriors can threaten the Western Conference Finals as constituted. And watching Thompson bounce on his once-decimated leg has to give Golden State fans some hope that new glory days could be just around the corner.