It has been over two years since Klay Thompson last took the court of the Warriors.
Thompson was at the peak of his powers before tearing his ACL in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals, and a torn Achilles last November cost him a second straight season.
Steph Curry and the Warriors know how important Thompson’s return is to their title chances, and Curry has seen good things from his backcourt mate during the final stages of his rehab.
“He’s confident, he’s energetic, he is in a good space mentally knowing that this has been a long two years for him,” Curry told ESPN’s Cassidy Hubbarth during the Warriors’ Summer League game Wednesday. “We’re not going to keep reminding him of how long it has been, but he understands the work that is ahead of him and the opportunity that is ahead of him to come back to be the Klay that we all know and love and that is what his expectations are.
“So he’s putting in the work. It was great to have him around all year even though he wasn’t playing for us. Being in the locker room and bringing that energy for us. Once we get back to training camp, it will be right at the end of his rehab progress. So, hopefully, we can help get him over the hump and get him back on the court.”
After missing the playoffs in each of the past two seasons, the Warriors went into the offseason needing to upgrade their roster to vault back into title contention. They focused on the future in the NBA draft by selecting Moses Moody and Jonathan Kuminga, but added veterans Andre Iguodala, Nemanja Bjelica and Otto Porter Jr. in free agency, giving them a much deeper roster than the one Curry dragged to the play-in tournament last season.
