Getty Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson looks on from the bench during a game against the Portland Trail Blazers.
As of this writing, it has been 931 days since Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson last appeared on the court during an actual NBA game. And while the five-time All-Star finally looks to be nearing a return, we still have precious little information about when it will actually occur.
Nearly two weeks have passed since Warriors PR updated the situation, and whether we actually learned anything then is up for debate. Not much was said beyond Thompson’s timeline being “on schedule” and that a return date would be announced “when finalized and available.”
According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Thompson’s big day continues to be up in the air.
“To my knowledge, I don’t think they’ve pinpointed exactly which game,” Charania said during an appearance on KNBR’s Murph & Mac. However, the league insider did offer up an educated guess about which game it might be.
Shams Projects Klay’s Return Date
Although Charania hasn’t confirmed a target date from the Warriors side, he did use some deductive reasoning to come up with one of his own.
“It’s hard-pressed for me to see them bring him back on the 3rd,” he said. “But I do feel like — more and more every day as he continues to get each and every day of rest in — that January 9th game against the Cavaliers at home after a quick two-game road trip; that’s a game that makes a lot of sense.”
In any case, there have been rumblings about Thompson being court-ready for weeks now, but the Warriors have continued to hold him out. Per Charania, that decision was all about returning him in “peak” form.
“The Warriors wanted to make sure he was going full speed for 12 consecutive minutes or 10 consecutive minutes, because that’s the amount of time he might play on any given game when he does return,” Charania said.
“I don’t think they bring him back in that type of setting as far as throwing him out there and making him play 10 minutes straight… just being able to get his body to that peak shape was very important for the Warriors process.”
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If Not January 9, When?
If that guess ends up not being Thompson’s actual return date, when will the next opportunity for a return be? As Charania sees it, fans would likely have to wait another nine days for the team to bring him back before his home crowd.
However, he also seemed to indicate that an earlier comeback was more likely.
“I believe their next home game after the 9th would be the 18th. Could it stretch to then? Possibly, but Klay Thompson to everything I’ve been told, he’s been physically ready, even mentally ready, but to make sure he’s in peak position, I do think it’s going to come here sooner than later.”
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