Klay Thompson says Warriors are focused on winning another championship after Draymond Green-Jordan Poole altercation
Klay Thompson and the Golden State Warriors are focused on winning another championship despite the distraction of Draymond Green's altercation with Jordan Poole. Thompson was unhappy with the incident, but wants to move on heading into their quest for a fifth title since 2015.
In an interview with Mark Medina of NBA.com, Thompson opened up about the situation between Green and Poole. The five-time All-Star called Green's punch on Poole "unfortunate," but believes that ring night and another championship will mend the relationship.
"Violence is never the solution to anything, especially between teammates," Thompson said. "But we are moving past it. We talked to both players as a group about needing to understand what needed to be done to mend that relationship. We know that winning cures all, and that ring night will help soothe the pain from a tough couple of weeks."
Klay Thompson considers both Draymond Green and Jordan Poole to be his "brothers." Thompson added that he was very happy that Poole received a contract extension with the Golden State Warriors worth $140 million.
Meanwhile, Thompson also thinks that Green will earn a new deal with the team. He believes that it won't be the same Warriors team without both players in the future.
"I want what is best for them," Thompson said. "I'm very excited that JP got extended. He earned that. To see where he has come from his rookie season and now being the future of the franchise is special.
"I know Draymond and I have so much left in the tank, not just this year but for years to come. We all love each other. We're not the Dubs without either of them. We need both of them to go where we want to go."
To read Mark Medina's full interview with Klay Thompson, click here.
Can Klay Thompson get back to his old self in his first full season since his injuries?
Klay Thompson played in just 32 regular-season games last season, averaging 20.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists. However, he shot a career-low 38.5% from beyond the arc and was not great on the defensive end either.
But for the first time since 2018, Thompson will enter the season fully healthy. The Golden State Warriors will be cautious with the star in the first few weeks of the season. The Warriors even sat out Thompson for the majority of the preseason.
Despite being on minutes' restriction to start the season, Thompson expects himself to play like an All-Star again.
"I expect to play at an All-Star level again and hopefully become an All-Star," Thompson told NBA.com. "Early on, I'm on a minutes restriction, so I'll try to be as efficient as I can with those 20 minutes. Within the next few weeks, I expect to play starter minutes again.
"I expect to be great with all the training I did and all the experience I gained from last year. I'm no longer being inserted in the middle of the season, so I expect to have a really good year."