The Golden State Warriors have been through a lot this season.
Steve Kerr’s team has had to deal with injuries, suspensions, and off-court drama, and they didn’t do a lot to revamp the roster throughout the course of the season.
On top of that, some of the veteran players, especially Klay Thompson, were struggling mightily from the field.
Coach Kerr eventually realized that he had no choice but to demote Thompson to the second unit and favor some of the younger guys over him.
That’s why Draymond Green went out of his way to praise his teammate for his “incredible maturity” (via Warriors on NBC Sports).
"I think early on, he was too worried about how people [were] judging him. And now he don't care … I think it shows incredible maturity."
Draymond on Klay flourishing in his bench role 🔥 pic.twitter.com/HWsnMDGl9H
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 17, 2024
Following the win over the Los Angeles Lakers, Green praised Thompson for accepting and embracing a lesser role for the rest of the team.
He admitted that he felt like Thompson was too focused on what other people would say about him or his game when he wasn’t at his best.
But now that he’s ignoring all the outside noise, he’s been able to be efficient again.
On top of that, Green claims that Thompson has been a positive role model for the younger players, as he’s instilling confidence in them even though they might be ahead of him in the pecking order right now.
It’s not easy to accept that you’re entering the sunset of your career.
Thompson has put together a Hall-of-Fame resume, and not being an All-Star-caliber player anymore must hurt.
Then again, no one can take anything away from him or what he’s done in this league.
NEXT: Steph Curry Gets Honest On Nature Of Latest Injury