Getty The Golden State Warriors bench during their game against the Los Angeles Lakers on October 19, 2021.
The Golden State Warriors enter their Wednesday night game against the Charlotte Hornets at a somewhat surprising 5-1, near the top of the NBA’s Western Conference standings.
Stephen Curry’s playing like an MVP, rookies Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody have officially gotten their NBA debuts under their belts, and even security guard Jonathan Amey Jr. got to show off his stuff in a G-League tryout recently. What’s causing Dub Nation even extra amounts of excitement this fall though, are the pending returns of injured players James Wiseman and Klay Thompson.
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With all due respect to Wiseman, Thompson is the guy that Warriors fans have been waiting to see return to action with the most anticipation. It’s not only the extended layoff of over two years since his last game and his crucial contributions to three NBA title runs, but what fans may miss most is having two of the most likable, lethal shooters in history on the court at the same time.
Earlier this week, Anthony Slater of The Athletic and Michael Scotto of HoopsHype discussed a wide-range of Warriors-related topics, including the status of Thompson.
Thompson Returning to Full Practices in ‘the Next Few Weeks’?
GettyGolden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson during Media Day on September 27, 2021.
In the HoopsHype podcast, Slater provided the latest updates on the five-time All-Star.
“He looks pretty good. I think it’s a good sign they have him out there when the media is there. If he wasn’t feeling good, I think they’d mostly try to hide him,” Slater said. “They could have him work out at different times. He’s only really doing individual stuff right now. Offensively, the shot is pure, and you can see it’s pretty much back. He’s going to come back and immediately be a great three-point shooter. I think some of his movement stuff has been encouraging watching him come off curl down screens. I’ve heard he’s done some two-on-two and very controlled contact stuff.”
While the details of what Thompson’s been working on are important, what people probably want to know most badly is when exactly will No. 11 be suiting up for real?
“I’d expect him to get back into full practice at some point in the next few weeks or a month or so,” Slater said. “I think the floating target is still around the mid-December range.”
One-Year Anniversary of Thompson’s Achilles’ Surgery Is Coming Up
GettyThe Golden State Warriors line up prior to their game against the Denver Nuggets on October 6, 2021.
Slater also pointed out that Thompson has already said he won’t be returning to game action before the one-year mark from his Achilles surgery. That procedure was completed on November 25, 2020, so while Dub Nation has plenty to be thankful for, they can’t quite add a Thompson return to the Thanksgiving roundtable discussion yet.
“I think you’re talking mid-December at the earliest because they’re being so careful with him. If he’s not feeling fully there yet by mid-December, I don’t think they mind pushing it into the January range,” Slater said. “I think, overall, coming from the organization is a level of encouragement with how he looks right now.”
It’s been a tough journey so far, but hopefully the finish line for Thompson’s recovery is on the horizon. The Bay Area will just have to be a bit more patient.
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