"I learned that I was fried": Klay Thompson accepts harsh truth while recalling dud against Lakers in WCF
In 10 NBA seasons, Klay Thompson has established himself as one of the greatest shooters in league history. However, playing alongside his fellow Golden State Warriors teammate Stephen Curry can make some people forget that Thompson is right there alongside some of the best NBA marksmen.
However, that wasn't much of the case as Thompson struggled throughout much of the 2023 Western Semifinals round against the Los Angeles Lakers. In the series, the Warriors star averaged only 16.2 points (34.3% shooting, including 38.1% from 3-point range) and 4.5 rebounds per game. With his struggles and a limited roster depth, the Warriors ended up losing the series 4-2.
Recently, Thompson looked back on his performance in that series during an interview with The Athletic's Anthony Slater.
"I learned that I was fried," Thompson said. "I was tired. All my shots in Game 6 were short. As I get older, I'll have to rely on my teammates and my smarts to be as efficient scoring as I possibly can be."
Compared to his outing against the Sacramento Kings (42.5% shooting, including 35.6% from 3-point range), Thompson looked like a completely different player in the Lakers series. When it came to elite shotmaking on the Warriors team, usually Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson would share both of the load in lighting up the court.
In the interview, the Warriors guard admitted that he needs TO become a smarter player on the court by relying on his teammates. This is for him to reserve his energy better, especially considering that Klay Thompson is 33 years of age already.
Klay Thompson talks about getting eliminated by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2023 playoffs
Following the disappointing 122-101 Game 6 loss to the Lakers, Klay Thompson talked about the series and what's next for him, as per NBC Sports' "Warriors on NBCS."
"It's not the end of the road for me," Thompson said. "I still know I have greatness ahead of me. This was the first full season in three years I've had to make it through start to finish healthy, so that's a positive, and I know I'm gonna come back even better next year."
Thompson remained headstrong despite his 8-point performance (3-of-19 shooting, including 2-of-12 from 3-point range). He was confident in the work he put in to remain healthy throughout the course of an 82-game season. Through this, he knows he'll come back stronger in the upcoming season.
As the start of the 2023-24 regular season draws closer each day, it will be a great opportunity for Klay Thompson to remind everyone of the kind of player that he is.