Listing Klay Thompson's Top 3 NBA seasons in terms of three-pointers made
Klay Thompson's return to NBA action after 941 days was definitely one of the highlights of the 2021-22 NBA season so far. The All-NBA guard, who is likely to remain an All-NBA talent going forward, returned in front of his home crowd for the Golden State Warriors' victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Thompson played close to 20 minutes in the 96-82 win and scored 17 points on 7 of 18 shooting from the field and 3 of 8 from the three-point line. It is highly likely that he will regain NBA form from game to game and Thompson could give the Golden State Warriors a new dimension, which is scary for the rest of the league as the team was already 29-9 before last night's game.
Klay Thompson's Top 3 NBA seasons in terms of three-pointers made in a single regular season
Klay Thompson's last NBA outing came in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals when he tore the ACL in his left knee. He then suffered a ruptured right-leg Achilles tendon while preparing to return for the 2020-21 NBA campaign.
The five-time All-Star is one of the best shooters in NBA history, and his career three-point field-goal percentage sits at 41.9% (13th-best in league history). The Warriors have been solid in terms of three-point shooting this year, ranking eighth in the entire league in percentage (35.9%) and fourth in threes made per game (14.3).
The two-time All-NBA shooting guard has 1,801 three-pointers in his career, and he will definitely improve the team's efforts from beyond the arc going forward.
In this article, we will continue on that note and give you Klay Thompson's Top 3 seasons based on total three-pointers made in the regular season.
Without further ado, let us take a look.
#3 2018-19 NBA season | 241
In Klay Thompson's most recent full campaign with the Golden State Warriors, the All-NBA guard proved that he remained one of the greatest shooters in the game.
While the quest for a Warriors' three-peat wasn't successful due to injuries in the NBA Playoffs, the regular season saw them post the best record in the West (57-25), while Thompson earned an All-Defensive nod.
Thompson appeared in 78 games during that season and averaged 21.5 points per game with a 46/40/81 shooting split. He averaged 3.1 three-pointers made per game and ended the year with 241 threes (sixth-most in the NBA).
#2 2016-17 NBA season | 268
With Kevin Durant's arrival ahead of the 2016-17 NBA season, many thought that the Golden State Warriors' offense was going to change and expected Klay Thompson to enjoy fewer touches on the offensive end.
But to everyone's surprise, Thompson's numbers remained incredibly similar to the previous season in terms of attempts from the field and shots made.
That year, while the Warriors dominated with a 67-15 regular-season record and a 16-1 record in the postseason, Klay Thompson averaged a career-high 22.3 points per game with a 46/41/85 shooting split.
He averaged 3.4 three-pointers made per game (78 appearances) and ended the season with 268 threes (second-most in the league that year), while his 41.4% from the three-point line was 10th in the NBA.
#1 2015-16 NBA season | 276
The 2015-16 NBA regular season was one of the best we've ever seen, and the Golden State Warriors played a big role in that. While the team went 73-9, posting a new all-time record, Thompson was stellar in the team's backcourt.
Stephen Curry may have led the team to the greatest regular-season record ever, but Klay Thompson and Draymond Green were also huge performers for Steve Kerr's squad.
In Klay Thompson's case, he put up the best year of his career at the time with averages of 22.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game, along with a 47/42/87 shooting split.
He made 3.5 three-pointers per game (career-high) that year (in 80 appearances) and finished the campaign with 276 threes, the second-most that year and the 11th-most in a single season in league history.
Also read: "I'm not the shooter I am if I don't get to see Klay every single day" - Steph Curry credits 'Splash Brother' Klay Thompson for refining his shooting ability