Part of the Solution: Klay Thompson

Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images

The Golden State Warriors (22-39) currently occupy the 13^th seed — which is just a fancy way of saying they have the third worst record — in the Western Conference standings thanks in large part to their futility this month. The Dubs have been victorious twice in eleven contests in the month of April, and with upcoming contests at Dallas (tip off 5:30 pm PDT), at Houston, at Minnesota, versus New Orleans and San Antonio, it’s possible they might not win again for the remainder of the season.

Warriors fans can only hope that a core of Stephen Curry, David Lee and Andrew Bogut will help the team find its winning ways next season; but there’s another player on the Dubs roster that will certainly be a huge factor going forward and that has been turning heads with his play: Klay Thompson.

Very few doubted that his ability to shoot would translate to the pro game, but there were concerns about his ability to adjust to bigger and stronger defenders as well as his ability to figure out how to get open in order to take advantage of his shooting stroke.

He has since shown the ability to address those concerns and has even managed to display that he can also put the ball on the floor even against some of the league’s toughest defenders.

The Monta Ellis trade to the Milwaukee Bucks opened up some playing time for Thompson and he has not disappointed. On the season, he is averaging 11.9 points on 44.1 percent field goal shooting and 42.4 percent 3-point shooting. Mind you, those numbers are his averages with and without Monta on the roster.

Let’s have a look at his numbers for both the month of March (month the swap occurred) and the month April:

With the added minutes and added field goal attempts, the rookie has managed to maintain good shooting percentages and in the process has raised questions about his ceiling.

At 6’7’’ and 205 lbs, Thompson reminds me of a former NBA All-Star that started out as a shooter but then evolved into a scorer. His name?

Glen Rice.

In his rookie season, Rice stood at 6’7’’ and 215 lbs, and he averaged 13.6 points per game on 43.9 percent field goal shooting and 24.6 percent 3-point shooting. Eventually, the former Wolverine became a machine at working screens for open looks and drilling jumpers in the mug of defenders.

Rice was then able to add to his game and put the ball on the floor and finish at the basket and even go down on the block and post up smaller defenders.

The statement may be hyperbolic, but if Klay Thompson is the next Glen Rice, the Golden State Warriors will be in terrific shape given the talent surrounding him.

Thompson has already shown the ability and willingness to diversify his game as opposed to simply settling for jumpers and he’s also accepted the role of playmaker on occasion.

Make no mistake though, his biggest contributions next season will come in the form of his shooting, where he is already more than equipped to stretch the court for his teammates. According to MySynergySports, Thompson is converting 49 percent of his spot up 3-pointers and 47.6 percent of his treys coming off screens. In other words, he has been the real deal in his first NBA season and it stands to reason that he will get better.

Even if he never lives up to the comparison to Glen Rice, anything remotely close will surely be appreciated by the Warriors brass. Only five more games to see his lights out shooting this season folks…

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