Klay hits game-winning 3-pointer in Santa Cruz scrimmage originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
Every report we have gotten about Klay Thompson‘s rehab points to the Warriors guard looking like the sharp-shooting star of old.
Thompson has reached the final stage of Achilles rehab, which includes full contact five-on-five and three-on-three scrimmages. While the Warriors were on the East Coast, Thompson scrimmaged with the likes of Zaza Pachulia, Leandro Barbosa and rookies Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody.
The Warriors recently assigned Thompson to the Santa Cruz Warriors so he could continue to scrimmage with the G League club, and the five-time All-Star knocked down the game-winning three in Tuesday’s scrimmage with the Sea Dubs.
As the Warriors have roared out to an NBA-best 18-2 start, Thompson’s impending return clearly has given them a jolt of energy and the belief that they, when fully healthy, will have all the tools to win the title this year.
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It has been over two years since Thompson played in an NBA game, and it’s clear he can feel how close he is to rejoining Steph Curry and Draymond Green on the court for the Warriors. Following the Warriors’ win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday, Thompson sat on the Warriors’ bench for 35 minutes after the game with a towel over his head.
He and the Warriors both know the long, arduous journey it has been for him to get back to the NBA, and the anticipation for his return is palpable.
“Two-plus years is a long time,” Curry told reporters after the win vs. the Blazers when asked about Thompson. “I think going into this particular season and him getting closer than he’s ever been to getting back on the floor. Kind of predicted this would be the hardest part of his journey because he’s got the basketball back in his hands every day, he’s feeling like himself. He’s playing pick-up [games], he’s around our practices, and he’s back with us in those types of situations, but he’s still not on the court. And the good thing is we’re talking weeks instead of months now.
“Super proud of the way he’s approached this two-year window because it’s — unless he wants to write a book and tell every step of the way — nobody will understand what he’s been through, away from the game for so long. And it shows how much this game matters to him. And it’s rare these days to have somebody as pure as Klay just feel every bit of what basketball brings to him. It’s going to hit him at times, and we’ve got to continue to be there to support him and speak positively about him and what he’s accomplished because, again, this is his journey. Nobody can speak to what he’s been through.”
That journey is coming to a close, and Thompson will finally be re-emerging for the Warriors very, very soon.