KEY POINTS

  • The Warriors' backcourt has already been phenomenal even without Klay Thompson
  • Warriors coach Steve Kerr addresses the latest report about Thompson's progress
  • Steph Curry reveals what will be the Dubs' problem when Thompson returns

Klay Thompson may be close to making his much-awaited Golden State Warriors return.

Warriors fans have been bracing themselves for Thompson’s dramatic comeback. The Splash brother has already been involved in some activities, and The Athletic's Shams Charania and Anthony Slater reported on Sunday, November 21 that the five-time NBA All-Star has been cleared to participate in all portions of Warriors practices.

Lifting the lid on the subject, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told the media before the game against the Toronto Raptors that none of it is true.

"Nobody has told me that, so I don't know where that came from," Kerr said when quizzed about the latest Thompson report via NBC Sports.

Even without Thompson, the current Warriors squad has been exceptional, particularly in the backcourt.

In Thompson’s absence, guards such as Jordan Poole, Damion Lee and Gary Payton II have all stepped up to add depth in the backcourt alongside Steph Curry.

Klay Thompson
Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors is introduced prior to playing the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan, Dec. 01, 2018. Getty Images/Gregory Shamus

The Dubs’ current setup seems to have been working well, and with Thompson close to making his return, Curry confessed that “the only challenge” for Kerr now is how he would be able to “balance so much talent and opportunity for everybody.”

“Right now we played 12 guys and you got Klay Thompson and James Wiseman back at home playing 5-on-5 and getting ready,” Curry told reporters after the Warriors’ 117-99 win over the Brooklyn Nets. “So that is a great problem to have.”

“That is the challenge of what we have in terms of balancing how many guys you can throw out there every single night and creating a solid rotation that's going to help us win a championship, so that's the secret sauce, right now."

Thompson, on the other hand, had earlier admitted that though he is confident that he can still make an impact in his return, he’s not expecting to be back at his peak “right away.”

“I expect to get back there,” Thompson said. “Not right away just because that was 100 games worth of work and incredible shape.”

“But when I step back on the floor, I'm gonna be a very effective player. Maybe not what I was doing shooting the ball like I was, but I will still be really good. And I will just keep going up. You know the power of the mind. I have belief in myself to get there again."

RELATED STORIES