The Golden State Warriors had an extreme fall from grace in the 2019 NBA Finals.
Heading into the matchup against Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors, the Warriors has one of the best rosters ever constructed.
Golden State had a starting lineup of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, and DeMarcus Cousins.
It was thought at the time that the only thing that could bring down this dynasty were the Warriors themselves or injuries and that is exactly what happened.
In Game 1, Durant had a gruesome injury that kept him sidelined for the rest of the series along with all of the following season.
Durant would then leave the Warriors the following season in a sign-and-trade.
Another player for the Warriors that fell victim to injury was Thompson.
Thompson has not played a game since his Game 6 injury.
After going down with an apparent knee injury and leaving the court, Klay Thompson returns to a roar from the Oracle crowd to shoot the free-throws. 👏#NBAFinals pic.twitter.com/Px5gtYtKHm
— NBA TV (@NBATV) June 14, 2019
With Thompson gone from the team due to injury, the Warriors have not looked the same.
They were one of the worst teams in the 2019-2020 season as Curry was also suffering through injuries.
Last season, even with Curry playing amazing, the Warriors did not have enough to make it to the playoffs.
Thompson likely will not be back until early 2022.
With this being his first game back after missing two entire seasons, no one really knows if he will be the same player after injuries.
However, if he is the same Thompson from the Warriors’ championship runs, he may be the missing piece for Golden State’s climb back to the top.
Offensive Fit
Thompson brings so much to the Warriors on the offensive end.
He is oftentimes overshadowed by his teammate Curry, however, Thompson is one of the best three-point shooters that the game has ever seen.
Thompson is a career 41.9 percent shooter from three, which ranks him at 14th in NBA history.
Along with this, he has made 1,798 threes in his career, which is the 20th-most of all time.
The craziest thing about this is that Thompson has only played for nine seasons yet has accomplished this much from deep.
Also on the offensive end, Thompson is the perfect player to put alongside Curry.
Thompson is an amazing player off the ball and does not need it in his hands to thrive.
Klay Thompson’s 60-point, 11-dribble game will always be incredible ♨️ pic.twitter.com/9Z34gKs4gU
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 20, 2020
He fits the role perfectly as someone who can roam around the three-point line and wait for someone to get him the ball for a wide open three.
This skill has made the Splash Brothers one of the most difficult backcourts to defend in the history of the league.
Elite Defense
Before his injuries, Thompson was one of the best perimeter defenders in the entire league.
He was one of the players that the Warriors trusted to guard a prime LeBron James in shifts.
However, when Andre Iguodala was on the floor, Thompson would take the weight of the defense off of Curry’s shoulders and would guard the opposing team’s best perimeter player.
It would be miraculous if Thompson could come back from two horrific injuries and still be an elite defender but if he is anywhere near the same player he was, the Warriors will once again be a championship contender.
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