KEY POINTS

  • Steve Kerr discusses Klay Thompson's rehabilitation
  • Kerr reveals that Thompson is starting to feel "good" pain
  • The five-time NBA champ earlier bared that he is also closely watching his knee

Steve Kerr is still unsure about when Klay Thompson could make his return, but he is optimistic about the sharpshooter’s recovery.

Golden State Warriors fans have been patiently waiting for Thompson’s return, having missed two full seasons already due to a torn Achilles.

Though it is still yet to be known when Thompson will join the Dubs, Kerr has provided a positive update on his sharpshooting guard.

According to Kerr, Thompson is still not participating in full-contact team workouts. However, there has been a “big step” in the five-time NBA All-Star’s recovery.

As it stands, Kerr stressed that Thompson has started feeling “aches and pain” which is actually a “good” sign.

“He’s still a ways away from actually playing basketball in a 5-on-5 setting,” Kerr recently told Anthony Slater of The Athletic of Thompson’s status. “But there’s a big step with the Achilles when you can actually start running again.”

“It’s a huge psychological boost,” the coach continued. “The rest of the body gets going, you start feeling the soreness and aches and pains that actually feel good when you’ve been out for a while. He’s at that point.”

In May, Warriors president of basketball operations Bob Myers hinted at a possible timeframe for Thompson’s full recovery.

Based on Myers’ rough projection, the 31-year-old could possibly be at 100% early next year.

"What we're focused on is when do we expect Klay to be Klay, and I don't know if that will be January, February, March -- it's too early to say," Myers told NBC Sports. "We're not going to throw him out there if he's not ready."

Klay Thompson
Klay Thompson 's future remains murky although money matters could factor in after this NBA season. Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors reacts after he was called for a foul against the New Orleans Pelicans at ORACLE Arena on January 16, 2019 in Oakland, California. Getty Images/Ezra Shaw

Thompson, on the other hand, has remained optimistic all throughout his recovery.

In March, the three-time NBA champ bared that he is very likely to make his return soon, but his minutes will surely be reduced.

"I'll be honest -- I don't expect to come back and [play] balls to the wall, 38 minutes a night, guarding the best player, running around 100 screens," Klay said in a media conference. "I'm gonna get to that point. I guarantee that.”

"But I've talked to [Warriors director of sports medicine] Rick Celebrini about it a lot. It might be 20 minutes to start the season. We'll see where I'm at."

However, things might have taken another turnaround as Thompson admitted last month that apart from his Achilles, he also has “to factor” his left knee.

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