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Klay Thompson has been on a heater for the Golden State Warriors. He’s helped propel the Dubs to back-to-back wins over the Houston Rockets and Minnesota Timberwolves. Thompson had a career-night against Houston, scoring 42 points and drilling a career-high 12 threes in the process. He followed that up with a 32-point night against Minnesota on Sunday.
Despite the recent tear the sharpshooting guard has been on, his coach, Steve Kerr, has perhaps been most impressed with his growth as a leader.
Kerr spoke to the media after Sunday’s win, shining a light on Thompson’s recent leadership.
“Klay is really stepping up on the leadership front,” Kerr said via NBC Sports Bay Area. “He’s been more vocal. He is encouraging the guys. I think he recognizes that he is much needed in that role with all of our guys out. He’s done a great job with that.”
Klay Thompson Has Been Focused on Leading Young Warriors
Kerr’s praise of Thompson’s leadership was likely music to the sharpshooter’s ears. After hanging 42 on the Rockets, the four-time NBA champion sat down with reporters and shared his desire to grow as a leader, calling out his body language as a specific area he wants to improve.
“I try to be loud on defense,” Thompson told the media. “I try to be encouraging on the bench. I actually saw a great video of (UConn women’s coach) Geno Auriemma talking about his players and how he might not let the girls get in (the game) if they don’t show great body language, how he watches game film and he observes his players if they are engaging on the bench, if they’re being a great teammate. That resonated with me a lot. (Earlier) this year, I’d be in my own feelings because I wasn’t shooting the ball well or I didn’t feel like myself. After hearing that, you know, Geno’s been around so much greatness, I just reminded myself to be a leader. I’ve been here so long. I’ve got to lead. I’ve got to use my voice.”
Steve Kerr Compares Warriors’ Klay Thompson to Michael Jordan
Another talking point of Klay’s February 24 postgame press conference was the message he’d received from his coach earlier that day.
He explained that Kerr had challenged him to emulate Michael Jordan in a way.
“Steve was just telling me about how my game needs to evolve as I get older,” Thompson told reporters. “He used Michael Jordan as an example, how when he got into his 30s he became an incredible low post player. Not saying I’m Mike, but I’m saying I can evolve in other areas.”
On top of that, Thompson said that he’s been taking in a good amount of advice in recent weeks, as he ages as a player.
“I felt those (conversations) because those guys (Kerr and assistant coach Bruce Fraser) are straight shooters,” Thompson said. “They wouldn’t tell me I was capable of those things if I wasn’t. That really resonated with me and I’m going to continue to try to rebound at a high rate and playmake the rest of my career.”
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