Getty Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors celebrates with the NBA Championship Trophy during the Golden State Warriors Victory Parade on June 20, 2022 in San Francisco, California.
Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson was reminded of his mission for the next NBA season after bumping into Thanos in China during his Asian tour for sportswear brand Anta.
“Who let Thanos in here,” Thompson jokingly asked upon seeing the Marvel character statue, eliciting laughter from a small crowd with him.
“I’m trying to get five rings like Thanos,” Thompson quickly added while counting Thanos’ infinity stones.
Thompson and the Warriors have reloaded this offseason in their bid to win their fifth championship in eight years.
They traded Jordan Poole for 12-time All-Star guard Chris Paul, who is expected to fill in the gaps, especially during the non-Stephen Curry minutes.
Thompson, 33, believes they have extended their championship window.
“I know Andrew, Steph, Dray, CP, and the rest of the guys are hungry,” Thompson said on Podcast P with Paul George on August 10. “We’re in our group chat right now trying to set up some mini-camps before the season, but we’re all on the same page.”
“Like look, we got another ring in us, and we expect to do it if we stay the course,” Thompson added. “So, last year left a bad taste in my mouth, but that’s not the worst thing. Now I’m hungrier than ever, and I want to get back to that mountain top.”
“Four is cool, but why not get as many as you can or at least attempt and then I can walk away from this game saying I gave it everything I had.”
Is Klay Thompson No Longer a Top-Tier Star?
Thompson dropped to a career-low in The Athletic’s NBA Player Tiers.
From as high as the third tier pre-ACL and Achilles injury, Thompson hit rock bottom as he will enter next season in the fifth tier despite producing better numbers last season compared to the previous season before his injury.
Thompson averaged 21.9 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists while hitting a five-year high 41.2% on a career-high 10.6 3-point attempts last season across 69 games. During his ill-fated 2018-19 season campaign, Thompson put up 21.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists while shooting 40.2% on 7.7 3-point attempts in 78 games.
But for Seth Partnow of The Athletic, who did the NBA Player Tiers, the 33-year-old Thompson is now just one of the “stars still finding ways to contribute at a moderately high level later in their careers.”
Stephen Curry Sets Expectations for Chris Paul
Stephen Curry expects Paul to elevate the Warriors, especially their young guys, as he did with his previous stops.
“It’s one of those things where you have a guy who just understands how to play basketball,” Curry said on the Gil’s Arena podcast. “[Paul] has elevated teams that he’s been on his entire career and even at this stage like what he did in Phoenix when he’s been there. I know they didn’t accomplish the goal [of winning a championship], but they were better because of his leadership and ability to manage the flow of games.”
The 12-time All-Star point guard has a track record of leading young teams to the playoffs since his early years in New Orleans to Phoenix.
Curry shared that Paul has already linked up with Jonathan Kuminga, one of the Warriors young players expected to play a prominent role next season.