It’s a rudimentary award on the grand scale of an NBA career.
The award means little for some, everything for most. For a 17-time All-Star like Kobe Bryant, it’s become a midseason custom. For Kyle Korver, it could be the only chance he has to represent more than the name on his jersey.
Being named an “All-Star” means you’ve become an entity, and an important one at that. Sure, Joe Johnson made the All-Star team seven times, LeBron James gifted Mo Williams the honor and even Brad Miller made the team once. Circumstances are always unique, and for Klay Thompson that will hold true as well.
When David Lee made the Western Conference All-Star team in 2013, it was the first Warriors player to earn the honor since 1997 (Latrell Sprewell). Lee was having a remarkable season — 19.6 points, 10.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game at the time – and he went on to play alongside the best the league had to offer in Houston.
Lee’s selection won’t mean much in the pantheon of Warriors history, but finally fans of the Golden State had a hometown reason to watch the festivities. Lee wasn’t in the sideshows known as the skills challenge, three-point contest or even the dunk contest. It was the main event, and no matter what fans thought of his contract, defense or fit on the team; it was an important moment.
While Lee’s selection felt like a breath of fresh air for a franchise so often associated with reek, Thompson’s selection will feel like a needed validation for the fourth-year guard. His improvement each season has been evident, not only in the numbers – 22.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists on a 61% true shooting percentage – but in his demeanor as well.
“You can tell he feels like he’s arrived,” said Draymond Green earlier this season. “He feels like he’s up there with the best. He feels like he’s probably the best two-guard in the league. That confidence matters. It shows in his game. It shows in his demeanor. He carries himself like, ‘I’m here’ as opposed to ‘Here I come. I’m rising.’ He feels like he’s arrived. That confidence makes a difference.”
The confidence is palpable, and it couldn’t have been any clearer during his 37-point third quarter barrage on Friday night against the Sacramento Kings. Thompson’s fusillade of implausibility was a level of greatness that not one other player accomplished. It’s in these unthinkable moments where everyone that has followed or contributed to this organization couldn’t help but have a sense of pride.
Like Curry’s 54-point onslaught at the Mecca two seasons ago, his starting nod in New Orleans or the team’s whirlwind of a season up to this point, there’s a certain level of surreal to it all. Fun can’t begin to explain the basketball utopia that has been Warriors basketball this season.
For Thompson — the 11th overall pick in 2011 that has only missed one game due to injury in his career – the need to be recognized was never needed, but it was welcomed. Labeled as a shooter and not much more coming out of Washington State, Thompson was drafted to become the yang to Curry’s yin. Now, after the performance (and contract) has exceeded expectations, that recognition will soon come.
Even before the injury to Kobe Bryant, Thompson was on the cusp of his first All-Star selection. Now, he has the chance to start in his idol’s place if his head coach so chooses. Steve Kerr might be biased, but Thompson’s play this season – with his coup de grace on Friday being the highlight – puts his coach in the unique position to overlook an obvious selection (James Harden) in favor of one of his own.
Whether he says it or not, starting alongside Curry at Madison Square Garden is an entirely different honor that simply coming off the bench. For team that’s currently holding the best record in the NBA at 35-6, the decision to start in the midseason classic might seem moot. But, for better or worse, the classic has become a rite of passage for potential stardom.
Thompson had reached a particular level of stardom after a successful (yet unfulfilling) campaign last season. After the cooks in the kitchen decided to keep Thompson instead of trading for a now struggling stretch-4, the pressure was on more than ever. The aforementioned player is a three-time All-Star himself and was once considered a Top-10 player in the league.
As Thompson continues to embark on his career season, the script has been flipped and it’s the former Cougar, not Bruin, who is showing why the Warriors made the right call. No one needs an All-Star berth, but they certainly provide a sense of arrival. Thompson deserves to share the floor with other greats.
Lee’s selection was a relief, Curry’s starting nod (as is his coming one) was expected and Thompson’s will be cherished. Thompson is no longer a sidekick, and his selection – along with a possible starting spot – is exactly what he deserves. All-Star selections might not mean much to those who count their selections on two hands or those who will never have the opportunity, but for a player who’s earned validation and strives for more, it means a whole lot.
“It was a fun night to say the least,” said Thompson after his historic night.
If he had his way, more historic nights are on the way.
Great read.