Klay Thompson either enjoyed moving to the bench, or took it personally.
The four-time NBA champion and five-time All-Star came off the bench for the first time since his rookie season on Thursday after Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr replaced him with rookie Brandin Podziemski. The move snapped a streak of 727 games started for Thompson, who ended the Warriors’ last game with a significant gaffe.
The move was a surprise but also a long time coming. No player on the Warriors has shown their age this season as much as the 34-year-old Thompson, who entered Thursday averaging 17.0 points per game (his worst mark since 2012-13) and shooting career worsts from the field (41.5%) and from 3-point range (36.8%).
It could have been a tough moment for a respected player. Instead, he responded with his best game of the season.
Thompson scored a season-high 35 points on 13-of-22 shooting with zero turnovers and personal fouls. He also surpassed the 15,000-point mark in his career.
If Thompson minded the move to the bench, he didn’t show it at halftime while speaking with NBC Sports Bay Area. He credited the extra rest for his outburst:
“Well coming off the bench gave me fresh legs, especially off a back-to-back. That was nice, to come in with a clean slate. I took great shots out there. God, I got some great looks from 3.”
Thompson is now set to get some more rest via the All-Star break, with the Warriors’ next game scheduled at home against the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 22. His performance Thursday is good indication he still has something left in the tank, but you couldn’t blame for the Warriors for wanting to see just how much juice “Bench Klay” has.
