The Golden State Warriors are the reigning NBA champions.
After a few years away from the Finals, the Warriors came storming back in a huge way last season and overtook the Boston Celtics to claim yet another ring.
It was no coincidence that this came hot on the heels of a major return.
After 941 days away from the game, Klay returned with some thunder 🔨#NBADunkWeek pic.twitter.com/zbWazKmdhI
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) August 3, 2022
The 2021-22 season featured Klay Thompson after two seasons away from the game.
Following an absence of 941 days, Thompson joined his Warriors to the delight of fans and teammates.
They knew that Thompson could be a huge difference-maker and might be the missing puzzle piece needed to get them back to the Finals.
Sure enough, Thompson ended up being a massive part of their success last season.
Elite Klay Returns
The injury, surgery, and rehabilitation that Thompson went through were brutal and kept him away from the court for far too long.
It’s rare to see an NBA player miss that amount of time.
The Warriors were able to survive without him but there was no doubt they’d get even better when he was back.
He complements Stephen Curry so well and is an outright incredible player in his own right.
Of course, Thompson had to shake some rust off himself but in the end, his season average was 20.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.8 assists.
When you look deeper at his stats, you see that his field goal and three-point percentages are markedly lower than previous seasons.
Still, Thompson ended up being really important to the team and helped them once again reach championship levels of play.
Now that he’s back and healthy again, you can expect a lot more of Thompson next season.
He is doing very well after missing so many games but he could get even better in the season ahead.
NEXT: The Warriors Are Patiently Waiting On Andre Iguodala