NBA: Golden State Warriors’ Klay Thompson’s Status With USA Basketball And Olympics

KEY POINTS

Klay Thompson is one of the greatest shooters in the NBA
He tore his ACL in the last game of the 2019 NBA Finals
He is still a candidate for the 12-man roster in the Olympic Team USA

Klay Thompson is arguably one of the greatest shooters of all time. If it weren’t for Steph Curry, he would be without a doubt the best sniper for the Golden State Warriors. Fortunately for the Bay Area Thompson and Curry play for the same team as the Splash Brothers have wreaked havoc across the league for years. This season is a different year for the rest of the competition of the NBA as Thompson continues to rehabilitate his knee injury.

He tore his left knee ACL in the last game of the season in the 2019 NBA finals. He went down in the final moments of the third quarter but managed to sink two free throws before being taken out.

He was on pace for another historic game 6 performance as he already tallied 30 points in the first three quarters. Thompson has had clutch games before where he would step up with big numbers as his team was facing elimination. He once scorched the Oklahoma City Thunder when the Warriors were down two games to three in the 2016 Western Conference Finals. He ended up with 41 points and 11 three-pointers.

This year marks a time off the court for Thompson. The playing time in five consecutive finals appearances has taken a toll on the body. For now, he will sit out for the remainder of the season as reported by Marc Stein.

The Warriors have this week made it official and fully ruled out Klay Thompson (left knee) for the remainder of the season, league sources say
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 21, 2020

But although he has already been ruled out for the season, he remains to be a valuable prospect for Team USA. In the 12-man roster of the team for the Tokyo Olympics, Thompson provides long-range shooting that can match the international pace.

Thompson, though, remains in contention for a spot on the United States' 12-man roster for the Tokyo Olympics. @usabasketball will finalize that roster in June and Klay is said to be making good progress in his recovery from a torn left ACL in Game 6 of last season's NBA Finals
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 21, 2020

Thompson was part of the 2016 Olympic Basketball Team where Team USA won the Gold Medal in Brazil. His biggest game in that stretch was when he took over against France where he made seven threes and scored a total of 30 points.

Team USA will be hoping to bounce back in 2020 after they were eliminated early in the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup. Despite his injury, Thompson will still be a strong candidate to consider for USA Basketball.