Klay Thompson’s signs of regression are subtle: a slow finish here, an out-of-rhythm jump there, the occasional frustrated look on his face.
The Golden State Warriors might not want to discuss this because they’re just happy he’s back on the ground after more than 2 1/2 years out through injury, but they know Thompson isn’t the same player he was before he suffered a cruciate ligament tear and a torn one Achilles tendon. Anyone who watched the first two games of these NBA Finals could see a five-time All-Star trying to overcome his sudden physical limitations.
Unable to jet into Jumper like he used to, Thompson accelerated his firing motion. He was always a step slow in defense, even when facing complementary big men rather than scoring flanks.
Such flaws, once easy to overlook, are now glaring – not only because an opponent as formidable as the Celtics tends to expose a player’s mistakes, but because the Warriors need the old version of Thompson more than ever. Jordan Poole seemed overwhelmed by Boston’s physicality and Andrew Wiggins has too much defensive responsibility to be a reliable No. 2 scoring option.
All of this has put an even heavier burden on Stephen Curry, who is responding as well as can be expected. In the third quarter of Game 2 on Sunday night, after Thompson and Poole went off the field in a combined 2-for-13 (1-for-6 from a 3-point range) in the first half, Curry scored 14 of his games. high 29 points to extend the Warriors’ two-point lead to a 23-point cushion.
During his post-game press conference, Golden State head coach Steve Kerr went so far as to call Curry’s timely excitement “breathtaking” — an adjective Curry could justify more often than any other NBA player. But Curry is still human. Without the right backing from Thompson, he could struggle to get the Warriors past the Celtics.
What makes Thompson and Curry such a special backcourt duo is that they have complementary skills. As Thompson rolls off screens, knocking over catch-and-shoot jumpers and scoring glaring scores with minimal dribbling, Curry is almost unstoppable.
But with Thompson struggling, Kerr had to tweak his system so Curry could cause offense. A team built on ball movement has given way to a more isolated style. In each of the first two games of the finals, Curry had 12 pick and rolls.
This is far from desirable, which raises an important question: What can the Warriors do to get Thompson back to his efficient ways? In the first two finals games, he averaged just 13 points on 32% shooting (27.7% from 3-point range). Combine that with Thompson’s shaky defense and perhaps it’s no surprise that the Celtics have outscored the Warriors by nine points whenever he’s on the ground.
Even if he shot better in the previous three series, he often failed to help Golden State win. The Warriors have scored 13.6 more points per 100 possessions when Thompson is off the ground than with him in these playoffs — the team’s biggest difference among regular rotation players.
That stat can be attributed to a number of factors, including the fact that Poole — Thompson’s main backup — was a huge asset until he met Boston’s size and tenacity. The Warriors offense was significantly more efficient with Poole on the floor instead of Thompson.
Few can deny that Thompson hasn’t found much consistency at either end of the parquet since his return in mid-January. And his problems have never been more pronounced than they are now.
Many of Thompson’s misses against Boston have caught the eye. On defense, the Warriors put him on Al Horford instead of the Celtics’ perimeter threats. This has forced Curry to defend the likes of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown at times.
As Curry showed on Sunday, he’s capable of handling all of that well enough for the Warriors to win convincingly. But it’s fair to ask: what if he can endure a night or two off? Would Golden State be doomed?
“When you play a team like Boston,” said forward Draymond Green, “you have to be offended by other places, not just Steph.”
In Game 1, Curry propelled the Warriors to a 12-point lead at the end of the third quarter, only for Golden State to lose by 12 after being held to four points in the fourth. Such overconfidence in Curry should worry Kerr.
Though Curry has long been the driving force behind Kerr’s offense, the Warriors had to live up to their “strength in numbers” mantra to win three NBA titles in four years. In the 2015 Finals, Curry received 16.3 points per game from Andre Iguodala and 15.8 points from Thompson. In 2017, Kevin Durant (35.2 points) and Thompson (16.4) were more than worthy additions. In 2018, Durant averaged 28.8 points and Thompson averaged 16.
“I think it’s different just because of the way the team is set up,” said Curry. “I always have to be aggressive, try to play, try to score. … I think you’re comparing it to years past, with the depth we’ve had, with the heavy burden of meeting me, KD, Klay, obviously it looks a little bit different and the flow of the game is a little bit different.”
The emergence of Poole and the addition of Wiggins should ensure that Thompson didn’t have to be as prolific for the Warriors to hoist another Larry O’Brien trophy. But the Celtics have presented numerous challenges to Golden State, and Poole and Wiggins are hardly immune.
Aside from the 14 points he scored in Sunday’s trash time, Poole has just 12 points on a 3-on-12 combined shooting (2-on-7 from a 3-point range) in those first two games. And given that he has to defend Tatum most of the time, the Warriors probably can’t ask Wiggins to be a reliable secondary scorer. He was limited to 11 points in Game 2.
To get Thompson on offense, Kerr might want to call for more games for him. Thompson was the Warriors’ most efficient pick-and-roll scorer during the regular season. By giving him an occasional high screen, Golden State was able to help him find some much-needed flow.
If Kerr does nothing and Thompson continues to put in tough performances, the Warriors could still win their first title since 2018. This is a testament to Curry’s greatness more than anything else.
But for the Warriors to take off on the series, Thompson will have to at least limit the subtle reminders of his regression — quite a tall order.
What makes the Warriors optimistic is that Thompson has done much tougher things. Compared to the return from consecutive career-threatening injuries that sidelined him nearly 1,000 days, some better performances in the finals feel easy.
“We’re going to need input from a lot of people,” Kerr said. “I think we’re perfectly capable of winning games where Steph isn’t having a big night.”
Connor Letourneau is a contributor to the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @Con_Chron