Getty Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors.
Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson made history on Sunday against the Portland Trail Blazers. He became just the third player in NBA History to knock down 300 or more 3-pointers in a single season, joining James Harden and his Warriors teammate Stephen Curry.
Klay Thompson, who leads the NBA in 3-point field goals this season, is now the third player in NBA history to hit 300 threes in a single season (Stephen Curry four times, James Harden once). Thompson’s 300 threes are the sixth-most ever in a single season.
Thompson’s Warriors went on to beat the Blazers 157-101, wrapping up the regular season as the sixth seed in the Western Conference.
After the finale, Golden State’s head coach Steve Kerr shared what he’d said to Thompson before his historic day.
“Yeah I pulled Klay aside two minutes before the game and I said ‘I know you’re five [threes] away, but just let it happen. You don’t need to chase anything, especially early in the game. Just get off the ball and let it happen in the flow,'” Kerr said via NBC Sports Bay Area. “He’s like ‘okay, no problem coach.’ And then he made five threes in the first five minutes. So, that’s Klay. But, they were really good shots, that was the main thing. Even though he went out launching, they were great shots. It wasn’t like he was taking bad ones. It was really good for him to get that mark. I told him after the game just how proud I was of him, for what he’s been through, to go through those two devastating injuries and fight his way back, win a championship last year and then have a great season this year. A complete season, playing back-to-backs by the end of the year. It’s really a remarkable story, a testament to Klay and his fortitude and love for the game. I couldn’t be happier for Klay.”
Steve Kerr told Klay before the game not to chase the five threes needed to reach 300 on the season …
Klay hit five threes in the first five minutes 😂
Steve Kerr Details Andrew Wiggins’ Return to Warriors
Ahead of Golden State’s blowout win in Portland, Kerr gave reporters some insight into what Andrew Wiggins has been doing to get fit to return to the floor.
“He got some three-on-three work in yesterday and some five-on-five,” Kerr said via NBC Sports Bay Area. “So, everyday he’s progressing and he’s putting in the work. The whole thing is after a seven-week absence, there has to be a ramp-up period and that’s what he’s doing right now. It would be irresponsible for us to just throw him out there and expose him to injury. So he has to go through the process. Our performance team is putting him through that process and he’s getting a lot of good work in. The idea would be, ideally we win the game today [against Portland], and have these next five or six days to prepare, which would include some scrimmaging and getting Wiggs back into the fold with everything we’re doing scheme wise and execution wise. Then he gets another week under his belt and we reassess from there.”
Steve Kerr details the plan for Wiggs’ return to the court
Wiggins returned to the team earlier this week, after being away for nearly two months while his father battled a serious medical condition.
Klay Thompson Discusses Andrew Wiggins Return to Warriors
Thompson also touched on the popular topic of Wiggins’ return to the Bay. Following Golden State’s win over the Sacramento Kings on April 7, he shared how important the former No. 1 overall pick is to what the Warriors do.
“It always feels great to win. I think we’ll click even more when Andrew’s in the lineup because he’s such an important player to what we do,” Thompson said via the NBA Interviews YouTube channel. “And we still have another level to reach. So, I think we should just keep staying humble and working hard, and we’ll get there. I know we will.”