Is Klay Thompson back in the starting lineup on a long-term basis?
In a crucial 113-92 win over the Miami Heat on Tuesday, Klay Thompson scored a career-high 28 points and drained six threes to help the Golden State Warriors secure their postseason survival. With his terrible early-season difficulties firmly in the past, the future Hall of Famer is now averaging 18.4 points per game in March while making 41.0% of his three-point attempts.
However, at South Beach, the action that had contributed to Thompson’s comeback during the midseason was reversed. For the first time since February 14th, he started with Stephen Curry, Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga, and Draymond Green on Tuesday. This moved Brandon Podziemski back to the bench and gave Golden State’s starters some much-needed extra space.
After the game, Thompson was asked if it felt any different to be back in the starting lineup. Thompson played 31 minutes against Miami, which is exactly in line with his usual amount of time off the bench over the previous several weeks.
“Not quite,” he replied. I just make an effort to use the same strategy. Have fun, speak with others, and look amazing.
Thompson finished with a total of 11 of 20 points, 6 of 14 from three-point range, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists. Not just because the second Splash Brother had his jumper going from all over the floor, but his +25 plus-minus was easily a team-high. The Warriors also had an easier time of it because of the simple threat that Thompson’s presence on the court presented to the Heat’s defense.
begin the second half with these successive possessions. With the little Patty Mills playing ball-screen for Andrew Wiggins, Golden State capitalized on the anxiety that Thompson instills in the hearts of opposing teams by popping to the arc.
What was the outcome? A first misunderstanding between Mills and Jaime Jaquez resulted in a crisp, rhythmic shot from deep for Thompson. Wiggins then gave him a finger roll for taking up Jaquez’s space behind the screen and Mills staying near to one of the best shooters of all time.
He’s hugging Curry on the left wing instead of rushing to Thompson after Mills and Jaquez both grab the ball on the first play because he’s worried about a possible corner dribble hand-off with Draymond Green, a Golden State mainstay.
On the Warriors’ following trip, neither Rozier nor Mills even pretend to press down on Wiggins, thereby giving him a one-on-one with a fleeing defender.
As a team, Wiggins and Kuminga are inconsistent shooters who require as much room as possible to fully utilize their physical abilities as they deteriorate. Curry is similarly vulnerable when he is pressed inside the arc, as defenders frequently use him to lay off four teammates when Thompson isn’t playing next to him.
When Podziemski starts in place of Thompson, the Dubs simply aren’t able to generate this kind of open space in the halfcourt on a regular basis.
Even with Podziemski starting in place of Thompson, the Warriors’ starting five continues to have a stronger offensive lineup. According to NBA.com/stats, the team’s absurd 71.9 assist percentage, 60.1% true shooting, and pitiful 9.9% turnover rate account for their 117.4 offensive rating. This is the kind of garish statistical profile you’d anticipate when matching Thompson and Curry up against Wiggins, Kuminga, and Green.
In comparison, the “peak” starting lineup, which includes Thompson, has a dismal offensive rating of 111.7, which is slightly higher than the Washington Wizards’ 25th-place season total. Its true shooting %, assist rate, and turnover rate are all significantly lower than those of the five players, which now includes Podziemski in place of Thompson.
Is there any debate, though, about which group you’d expect to generate effective offense more reliably under postseason pressure? In addition to forcing Podziemski to look for his own offense and forcing Wiggins and Kuminga to prove it from deep while aggressively encouraging Green to launch, opposing play-in or playoff defenses will also limit the space that Golden State has to operate in the halfcourt.
As anyone can, Kerr is aware of the reality, and in Miami, he responded appropriately by hitting the appropriate buttons. However, he isn’t committing to starting Thompson in the starting lineup as the remaining games get increasingly important.
Regarding the modification, he stated, “It just felt like getting a little more spacing on the floor to start the game.”
It doesn’t always imply that it will last. I simply thought that tonight was significant.
It was crucial for Thompson to start in place of Podziemski against the Heat. The Warriors’ chances of missing out on the play-in round may also be greatly impacted by Tuesday’s game and other recent offensive trends.
