Warriors star Klay Thompson won’t return to the court for a while, but he got the opportunity to make a broadcasting appearance during Golden State’s win over the Detroit Pistons on Saturday.
During the NBC Sports Bay Area broadcast, Thompson spoke of his recovery process for the first time since suffering a season-ending Achilles tear during a workout in November. The 30-year-old admitted that it “kills” him to miss another season. However, he said his rehab is going slowly, but well, according to ESPN’s Nick Friedell:
“I’m living good. To be back in the building that I’m so eagerly awaiting to play in. Just a little bored at times. Stuff’s slow with trying to let my Achilles heal and get to the next stage, which is mobility work, but I’m feeling good. I’m happy to be with my teammates, obviously.
“Unfortunately, I’m not playing. It kills me every day, but I plan on playing for a long time, and I don’t want to have any mishaps come this rehab.”
Thompson missed the entire 2019-20 season after tearing his ACL during Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors. With Thompson sidelined and Stephen Curry ruled out with a broken hand, the Warriors finished with the Western Conference’s worst record last season at 15-50.
It’s unclear what kind of player Thompson will be when he finally returns to the court. However, at just 30 years old, the Los Angeles native has a lot of basketball left. In eight seasons with Golden State, Thompson is averaging 19.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game while shooting 45.9% from the field and 41.9% from deep.
He has earned an All-Star selection in each of his last five seasons and played a significant role in helping the Warriors take home three NBA titles in 2015, 2017 and 2018.