'It's pretty difficult,' says Klay Thompson after his most recent benching in the Warriors victory

'It's pretty difficult,' says Klay Thompson after his most recent benching in the Warriors victory

'It's pretty difficult,' says Klay Thompson after his most recent benching in the Warriors victory

NEW YORK After being left out of the starting lineup for the second straight game in Monday's 109-98 victory against the Brooklyn Nets, Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors said that it was "very hard to deal with." It was once. including an examination of some of the key events in the game as seen from the sidelines.

"Certainly," Thompson said when asked whether he has had to adapt to his new job. "Are you serious? One of the top players, you know, it's difficult for everyone.

"I'll tell you the truth. It's very challenging."

With 7:19 left in the game, guard Moses Moody replaced Thompson, who had gone 4-for-9 from the floor, including 0-for-3 from outside the 3-point line. Thompson then stuck the rest of the way. spent. over to the bench. He forced Steve Kerr, the coach of the Warriors, to start Gui Santos in place of Thompson, a rookie who had only played 61 minutes in eight NBA games prior to Monday night.

Following his same action in Golden State's victory over Memphis on Friday, Kerr ended the game with Thompson in Saturday's defeat when Andrew Wiggins sustained an ankle injury late in the first half and did not play again.

Wiggins' ankle issue kept him out of action on Monday. However, Kerr chose to go to Santos with rookies Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski, Draymond Green, and key player Stephen Curry, who led Golden State with 29 points in the victory at Barclays Center. Kerr did not travel with Thompson.

After stating that he stayed with that team because they were "competing and making plays and they had momentum," Kerr admitted that Thompson had had a difficult season.

Kerr said, "He's fine." He's had a lot of ups and downs this season. It's difficult for a man who has been so successful and a Hall of Fame player to cope with injuries, and getting older is never easy for any athlete. She is, nevertheless, psychologically tough."

Thompson, who turns 34 on Thursday, missed the whole 2019–20 and 2020–21 seasons after tearing his Achilles tendon in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals.

In 2022, he scored an average of 20.4 points to assist Golden State in winning the NBA championship. The previous season, he scored an average of 21.9 points and made 41% of his 3-pointers as the Warriors eventually fell in the second round of the playoffs. The Lakers defeated the Angels.

However, Thompson's performance this season has decreased. His scoring average of 17.1 points was the lowest since his second NBA season. He also had career-worst shooting percentages, shooting 37.1% from three-point range and 41.5% from the field. Young players like Kuminga, Moody, and Podziemski have stepped up in the meantime, making Thompson's involvement an enduring tale.

After the game, Thompson remarked in his locker, "Physically, I feel great." "Personal, that's maybe a different story. But isn't that just the way life is?

Then Green cut him off, saying, "So who cares?" after revealing that he had previously been benched during an NBA Finals game.

Remarkably, Thompson expressed his happiness for his youthful teammates on many occasions, acknowledged the contributions of Kuminga (28 points) and Podziemski, and spared no words in praising Santos, who concluded with 9 points, 5 rebounds, and a team-best plus-13 in only 18 minutes.

"I'm okay with it," Thompson said. "Although I may be insane, I'm glad for these young men. Yes. We prevailed. And winning in this league is difficult.

"[Santos] put up a great show. I'm glad for Gui. Unbelievable, really. How can a guy from the [G League] come here and have that type of effect? Amazing."

As of right now, Santos, a 21-year-old rookie from Brazil selected with the 55th overall choice in the 2022 NBA Draft, has played in more minutes in the Warriors' past three games (44) than their first thirty-five (35) games of the season. In Monday's victory, Kerr described himself as "amazing".

"Everyone here always says to be ready to play when you get the chance to get on the court," Santos said. I thus remarked, "I have to bring energy to the team, especially defensively," when I realized that I had some playing time.

For the Warriors, who are now 22-25 with the victory, Monday was just another strange night of the season. This five-game East Coast tour will come to an end on Wednesday with games at Philadelphia and Thursday with games at Indiana, which will get the Warriors closer to the trade deadline.

With two thirds of the season completed, Golden State remains in 12th place in the Western Conference, a game down on the Utah Jazz in 10th, a percentage point behind the Houston Rockets in 11th, and a half-game behind the Los Angeles Lakers in ninth.

In addition to climbing the Western rankings, the Warriors must also continue to cope with Thompson's erratic position in Golden State's lineup at crucial times of the game.

Curry said, "I know he wants to shoot the ball better." "I am aware of his desire to play. He is victorious. He is a man who has contributed just as much as anybody else to all of our accomplishments. The difficulty is that, as our careers progress, we must all adapt if we want to keep winning at the greatest possible level.

"There are ups and downs in the way this game operates. The season has its ups and downs, as well as moments when you should be shining. You must remain indoors and prepared. Though I haven't discussed it in detail with him, it's just a matter of being upbeat, being organized, and continuing to play for half an hour. Additionally, you've completed several games for us on time. Just hold on to it, since everything eventually comes back.