Klay Thompson developed into one of the best 3-point shooters in historical past on the Golden State Warriors, main him to 5 All-Star appearances and serving to the franchise to 4 championships.
But as Thompson prepares to face his former crew once more at American Airlines Center on Monday, the veteran guard enters having lost one particular skill that separated him from a lot of the league for many of his profession.
While Thompson’s 3-point proportion has remained largely the identical since his return from two devastating leg accidents in 2022, it is his free-throw taking pictures that’s surprisingly fallen off a cliff this season.
Klay Thompson’s free-throw taking pictures has quietly dropped dramatically
For a lot of his profession Thompson has at all times been a deadeye on the free-throw line, albeit he is by no means essentially bought there a ton. In his closing yr with the Warriors in 2023-24, he truly led the league in free-throw proportion at 92.7%. Even now, regardless of a dip this season, he ranks 59th all-time in profession free-throw proportion.
For some cause or one other, Thompson is all the way down to 73.8% from the free-throw line this season. This is simply the second time in his profession he is been underneath 80%, having shot 79.5% from the charity stripe in his third yr approach again in 2013-14.
Perhaps it is merely an absence of rhythm for the 36-year-old. Thompson is averaging an simply career-low 22 minutes per sport, and is subsequently averaging a career-low 11.9 factors per sport. It’s due to this fact not overly stunning that he is making an attempt simply 0.7 free-throws per sport — the primary time he is been underneath one in his profession.
Nonetheless it is nonetheless a weird improvement and one other signal that Thompson is not fairly the identical participant he was, although his 38.5% taking pictures from past the arc on almost eight makes an attempt continues to be nothing to sneeze at.
Klay Thompson will enter newest Warriors sport with some confidence
Thompson may also take some confidence into Monday’s assembly with the Warriors, having loved two strong video games after a quick two-game absence. He went for 17 factors on 4-of-10 3-point taking pictures towards the Atlanta Hawks, earlier than following that with 12points on an ideal 4-of-4 from past the arc towards the L.A. Clippers on Saturday.
It will probably be a vastly completely different Warrior crew to what Thompson is accustomed to, with long-time teammate Draymond Green, together with Gary Payton II, Gui Santos and Brandin Podziemski, the one seemingly rotation members that he once shared the ground with.
