[new_royalslider id=”15″]
Klay Thompson has had an interesting Summer, but he’s been able to accomplish a lot. First, the Warriors dangled him in trade rumors for Kevin Love but ultimately decided it wasn’t worth losing a consistent offensive threat and hardworking defender. Next, Thompson competed with the NBA’s rising stars and beat out guards like Bradley Beal, John Wall, Damien Lillard, and Gordan Heyward to make the final cut of 12 for the USA Men’s National Team.
With all of this going his way, the fuel for winning at basketball’s highest pinnacle has to be next. According to Marcus Thompson of the Mercury News, Thompson is ecstatic to remain a member of the Warriors and this high octane offense:
“I’m happy. It makes me feel great,” Thompson said. “The Warriors believe in me. That makes me want to work that much harder. They believe in me and Steph, they believe in the team we have. I believe in us too. I think we have all the ingredients to win a championship.”
A championship? With this roster? “Absolutely,” he said.
“I think a lot of it hinges on our health. Our ability to improve our offense. Me and Curry have another year together. Another year with Andre Iguodala. Another year under the belt for Harrison Barnes and Draymond Green. We know what we’re going to get from David Lee consistently. Andrew Bogut’s coming in healthy. If Festus comes back and play like he did his rookie year, that’s huge. We’d have another big body and we need that, especially in the West. It’s going to be a grind.”
The article also states Coach Mike Krzyzewski is fond of Thompson and his ability to pest the other team’s point guard and hit the open three point shots when his teammates find him. Proving to be a key player, his importance to the Warriors only grows. During this stint with Team USA, Thompson has already lost five pounds bringing his weight to 215.
With the 2014-15 NBA season approaching, the Warriors and Thompson will need to negotiate his next contact soon (October 31, 2014), or else he will become a restricted free agent next summer. With his rookie contract expiring, Thompson is going to become more expensive and paying the salaries of crucial championship pieces will become more difficult.