Warriors Coach Steve Kerr Reveals 'Only Thing' He Wants Klay Thompson To Do
KEY POINTS
- Klay Thompson has not been at his best shooting in the last five games
- Steve Kerr has a solution for Thompson's skid
- Kerr admitted that they have been lenient on the 32-year-old since his return from injury
Klay Thompson hasn’t been in his best form for the Golden State Warriors these past few games, and head coach Steve Kerr has one piece of advice for him.
The Dubs are back to their winning ways, having won their last two games. However, among the leading Warriors scorers, Thompson has struggled with consistency on his shooting.
In the Warriors’ last five games, Thompson averaged just 15.8 points per outing on a 36.9% shooting from the field and 29.7% from three-point range. Kerr is well aware that the said numbers are far from what the sharpshooting guard is capable of. As a solution, Kerr has been reminding Thompson to always go for shots that have the best quality.
"The only thing that I'm stressing with Klay right now is to just get great shots," Kerr told NBC Sports Thursday after the Warriors' 113-102 win over the Nuggets. "If he's not open, [then] move it on.”
Kerr also pointed out that they have been lenient on Thompson as they want him to “feel the game” in his return. However, what remains a fact is that the squad is prolific when the ball is moving.
“I think we've really tried to give Klay a lot of freedom in his comeback, just to be able to feel the game,” the coach said. “Not to harp on mistakes and that sort of thing. But the bottom line is we are at our best when the ball moves, and we're getting good shots."
The Warriors’ backcourt has been rotating all season long with Jordan Poole already securing his spot on the floor. With less than 20 games left in the season, Kerr hinted that the plan is to maximize the productivity of his newly-formed trio in Poole, Thompson and Stephen Curry.
"I do like the Jordan, Steph [and] Klay combination," Kerr earlier admitted. "There's a lot of proof that those three guys play well together."
Thompson, on the other hand, is already excited to play in the post-season after two long years of hiatus due to injury.
“When it comes to the playoffs, it's a possession battle and we can't have any empty possessions,” Thompson said. “We've got to at least get a shot up, get some great ball movement, and be on a string together defensively. I'm really excited for the future and this is going to be a great year. I can just feel it."
![Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors](https://d.ibtimes.com/en/full/3372869/klay-thompson-11-golden-state-warriors.jpg?w=736&f=2774751044eeac437f97a574517624da)
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