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Klay Thompson is making progress to return from the Achilles injury that has left him sidelined for the entire season, the Golden State Warriors sharpshooter’s dad revealed.
In an interview filmed this week and airing Sunday on Warriors Pregame Live, Mychal Thompson told Kerith Burke that Klay has been working his way through rehab while dealing with the frustration of suffering two major injuries back-to-back.
Thompson Working His Way Back Slowly
Losing two consecutive seasons to injury has been weighing hard on Klay, his dad revealed. Before suffering an Achilles injury just before the start of this season, the Warriors guard had worked his way back from an ACL tear that wiped out his 2019-20 campaign.
It has been difficult having to watch from the bench, his dad revealed, but Klay continues to move forward in his rehab and has started some light workouts while he works toward getting back onto the court.
“All that he can do right now is just pool therapy, walking, stuff like that,” Mychal Thompson said, via NBC Sports Bay Area.
“He’s not going to be cleared to do any basketball activity for probably a couple months yet. It takes time with the Achilles. You’ve got to strengthen it and walk and get the tendon all [strong], but he’ll get there.”
Mychal Thompson added that this year’s rehab has been a bit easier on his son mentally because he has stayed with the team during the rehab rather than working his way back in isolation, as he did with the ACL tear.
“He’s doing much better this year because he’s around the team,” the elder Thompson said. “Being away from the team, you feel isolated, you don’t feel like you’re a part of it. Even though he’s not playing, just being on the bench and supporting the guys, he feels like he’s a part of it.”
The San Francisco Chronicle noted that Klay decided to relocate his personal trainer to the Bay Area and has been working on his rehab at the Chase Center, allowing him to stay in touch with teammates old and new. He has become a fixture on the bench this season, cheering on his teammates and encouraging them during timeouts.
Klay’s Rehab Remains on Pace
The update from Mychal Thompson shows that Klay remains on schedule with his rehab, even though he is still a long way from getting back into basketball activity.
Anthony Slater of The Athletic noted on Twitter earlier this month that Klay was able to have his walking boot removed, and cameras have shown him on the new socially distanced bench during games without it.
Even without his presence in the lineup, the shorthanded Warriors have managed to stay in contention in the Western Conference. The team’s 19-15 record has them in seventh place in the conference, just three games out of the No. 4 spot.
Despite facing additional pressure from defenses without his fellow Splash Brother in the lineup, Steph Curry has turned in one of the most efficient and effective years of his career, with his 29.9 points per game putting him just a shade under his career high.
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