The Golden State Warriors will look to establish themselves as one of the top teams in the Western Conference. This time around, however, their team will look a little bit different.
Although the Warriors still have one of the best players in the league, Stephen Curry, and defensive maestro Dryamodn Green, they are without the second-best shooter of all-time and four-time champion Klay Thompson.
Thompson left the Warriors this past summer for the Dallas Mavericks. On July 6, he was traded to the Mavericks in a six-team sign-and-trade that also included the Philadelphia 76ers, Charlotte Hornets, Denver Nuggets, and Minnesota Timberwolves.
Life without Thompson has been quite an adjustment period for Curry, Green, and head coach Steve Kerr.
Draymond Green #23 and Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors react during the first half of the game against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center on March 29, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina.The Golden State Warriors are still struggling to adjust to life without Klay Thompson.
Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
Curry talked about how it’s been difficult to go into the practice facility and not see his running mate there.
“[Klay] would usually enter the practice facility coming off of his boat,” Curry said. “With his Dockers on, whatever outfit he had on. He just had a presence about him, a lightness when he came into the room. And his one-liners were always great. … [I’m] talking about him like he died, [which is] super weird.
“… Life throws a lot of curve balls in sports. You’re used to seeing people change places and teams. [However] up until but a week before he decided to sign Dallas, we never really thought it was going to end.”
Thompson spent 13 years in the Bay Area and established himself as one of the best Warriors of all time. In 13 years, he was a four-time champion, five-time NBA All-Star, and two-time All-NBA.
He was massive for the Warriors in their championship runs from 2015-22. He endured some serious injuries along the way as well, but when it mattered, he showed up and put his team over the top more often than not.
However, the page must be turned, and no one realizes that more than Kerr. The Warriors replaced Thompson with Buddy Hield, and he is excited to see how he can fill that role.
“One of the reasons we are excited to get Buddy Hield is because we will run some of the same stuff that we ran for Klay for Buddy,” Kerr told ESPN. “Draymond and Steph will be looking for him on the perimeter when they’re playing with him. And then the other new guys, Melton, Kyle Anderson — there’s a reason we targeted them too. They fit any lineup, such smart tough players that they’re easy to play with.
“So I don’t anticipate a really difficult transition basketball-wise. It’s more just the emotional void of Klay being gone after being so close with him and going through so much with him. That part is really sad. But you have to move on.”
The challenge now will be to survive without Thompson, and we’ll see how they fare with the season approaching.
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