Green: “There was a 90% chance my brother [Klay Thompson] was going to leave Golden State and go elsewhere and test that number 1 option thing out. Unfortunately he got hurt.”
I don’t think it would have worked but who knows
It’s the Scottie Pippen situation, you never know if you don’t try
To be fair to scottie, the blazers pushed the kobe and shaq lakers to 7, and had a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter. Scottie did an admirable job.
Blazers Pippen was underrated.
His first season there - started all 82, 12/5/5 and 2nd-Team All D. That’s a role player that every contender would love to have.
Which is different than going somewhere to be the No. 1 option.
He was a very solid number one option on the Bulls when Jordan was away.
I love the pics of this matchup
wait until you find out what Scottie Pippen as the #1 option did and how far the Bulls got without MJ when he retired for baseball
I don’t know if you’re trying to say Pippen failed as a 1st option or not, but I think the 94 bulls were a fantastic team and that Pippen is an all time great. Taking the Knicks to 7 without the best player of all time on your team is admirable.
I take it as being a compliment
You’re referring to the season he was third in MVP voting?
Here is my hot take: I still think MJ is one of the all time greats but is overrated, and that pippen season is evidence.
Like MJ just left as the absolute focal point and by far highest usage player on offense, and they still had a great record and were in the mix as a possible title contender.
Compare this to how the cavs basically fell apart without LeBron, or how Kobe initially struggled immensely without Shaq to the point he wanted to be traded.
Those bulls teams were way better than people ever give them credit for, and I personally believe that MJ needed Pippen and Rodman more than the latter needed MJ.
There were other great scorers in the league, but I am not sure if there were other all-time defenders and rebounders like Pippen and Rodman out there - kind of like how in the NFL the elite DE and OT are the franchise players that teams lock down first, even though objectively the QBs do so much more - the skill gaps between QBs are smaller than the skill gaps between those other players.
Yes Jordan was better than Pippen and Rodman in a vacuum, but I don’t think he represented a larger delta over a similarly salaried elite scorer, like a drexler than Pippen or Rodman did vs the equivalent player at their salary levels and roles.
Like MJ just left as the absolute focal point and by far highest usage player on offense, and they still had a great record and were in the mix as a possible title contender. Compare this to how the cavs basically fell apart without LeBron, or how Kobe initially struggled immensely without Shaq to the point he wanted to be traded.
Apples to oranges comp tho
1993 Bulls came off a title win (good roster to begin with), Jordan was the only significant loss, and they brought in a bunch of guys including Toni Kukoc and Steve Kerr
By contrast, LeBron left all of his teams when they weren’t in championship shape even WITH him—and those teams basically had no significant good players come in to replace him
There’s also no way you’re convincing me a Cleveland team with Irving/Love in 16’ & 17’ without Lebron goes straight from 1st/2nd seed to the lottery
Nor are they convincing me any of those Heat teams goes to the lottery with Wade and a 2nd option Bosh
They’re literally cherry picking lebron rosters at the literal end of their windows and comparing them to the middle of their prime Bulls roster
These nephews are smoking something
This is exactly my take as well.
Whenever LeBron left, his team went from an NBA Finalist contender to a lottery team.
When MJ left, the Bulls won 54 games and were very close (and arguably got robbed) to beating the eventual NBA Finalist.
Think of the context gentlemen. The rosters lebron left were far worse off than that 94 bulls team. I’m not dissing LeBron either, but he never left a team with an in-prime all nba player like Scottie remaining. Calling one of the GOATs overrated is insane and nephew-like
I’m not dissing LeBron either, but he never left a team with an in-prime all nba player like Scottie remaining.
Isn’t that what Bosh was supposed to be? He clearly wasn’t, but that’s what the narratives were at the time. And yes, he ended up missing a decent chunk of games that year, but in the games he played they were very close to the same win percentage as their overall season record.
If you compare meaningful year over year roster changes the Bulls lost Jordan and added Kerr and Kukoc, the Heat lost LeBron and added Dragic, Deng and Whiteside, it’s not like they blew up the whole team.
Calling one of the GOATs overrated is insane and nephew-like
100%
*edit: fixing places autocorrect fucked up my grammar
Pretty terrible hot take. Yes, the bulls had a good squad. But there’s a reason they won 6 championships in a row with MJ and didn’t reach the finals the 2 years without him. It’s like saying Tom Brady was overrated because the year he went down the Patriots still won 11 games and some scrub nobody heard of stepped in to be top 10 in passing yards and TDs.
Yes, I’m aware he came back near the end of 95, but he barely got his feet wet.
Not to mention the heinous ref job in game 7. Scottie’s beloved along with that whole Jailblazers squad here in Portland
I was pulling for Scottie in those 2000 playoffs, he wasn’t dominating as the hyper athletic Pippen from the early 90s, more of a “keep things working guy”, but he would step up, go on runs and show his worth.
But he did go ice cold in that game 7 4th quarter, no sugarcoating this.
No sugarcoating that indeed. Losing Sabas was the nail in the coffin. Everything fell apart after that, but it was still somehow winnable if Scottie hadn’t gone cold
Portland needed someone to get a few buckets and stabilize them, no one managed that, not Scottie, Rasheed or Smith.
Yup. Sketchiness about that game aside (it was a pretty big deal, but still), they just couldn’t get it done. I think aside from Sabas clamping down Shaq, they missed his facilitating on offense too. He just made everything easier for everyone. Jokic before Jokic. It’s a shame Domantas hasn’t quite captured that same magic with his game
Yeah, he was a center before his time… and he got to NBA already waaaaay past his physical prime.
Domantas is “we have Sabonis at home” lol.
He wasnt a #1 option on the Blazers, he was an elite role player.
Yeah, Rasheed was the number 1, I was just saying Scottie almost got a ring without MJ. He was solid in Portland
idk why everyone thinks being the #1 option is only successful if you win a championship. People think winning is so easy and that it all depends on the player.
Pippen during the year Jordan retired (1994):
- all nba 1st - all defensive 1st - 3rd in mvp - all star mvp - ECF, game 7 against the Ewing Knicks
There is no world where I don’t believe Pippen could have won a ring elsewhere or on a slightly better team. That Bulls team needed to retool 2 years later to win WITH Jordan.
ECSF, but totally agree. He was awesome that year and IMO should have gotten the last shot drawn up for him instead of Kucoc (especially considering the history).
No bulls fan would agree with you.
Kukoc deserved the shot. Scottie proved why he didn’t .
I highly recommend you watch that game. No one who watched the game thought Pippen should have gotten the last shot. The Knicks outscored the Bulls 32-13 in the 4th quarter before Kukoc’s GW in large part due to Anthony Mason’s defense on Pippen in the 4th. Mason turned in a masterclass level defense performance in the 4th quarter that broke Pippen mentally by the end of the game.
It was ECSF but even then it’s with two important caveats:
Pippen sat on the bench when Kukoc GW prevented the Bulls from going down 0-3 in the series
The series only went 7 games because Harper was suspended two games and Starks was on a minute restriction as he was recovering from knee surgery. Harper and Starks only started one game together in that series. Game 7. It was a blowout.
Kobe/MJ/Bron have all had bad playoff games. It shouldn’t discredit their runs as the #1 options on very good teams.
We’ve all had our bad moments and it a strong believer those moments don’t define our careers as a whole.
That wasn’t a bad game by Pippen at all. This dude is just pushing a bullshit narrative and hoping nobody is gonna call it out. He played 40 minutes, had 25 points with a TS% of like 590, was their best defender, took care of the ball, and racked up a good number of assists/rebounds/blocks/steals.
Get out of here with not only correcting wrong info but also adding relevant context
Homie didn’t add relevant context at all, he added misleading bullshit. Harper and Starks were total ass in game 7 and less minutes (and were also much worse when they were on the floor) than in game 6. Yet they lost game 6 by a bigger margin than their supposed “blow out” victory in game 7, kinda fucks up the narrative of “the only reason the bulls were competitive were because starks and harper didn’t play enough” doesn’t it?
Ironically, the biggest victories the Knicks had in that series were the games where Starks played the least.
Same reason I hate when people say the Warriors and Nuggets have wasted Curry and Jokic’s later years, as if it’s actually really shameful to field a competitive basketball team in an era where there is more parity then ever before.
neither franchise has wasted those years, both teams are the top in salaries. Both players chose to take super maxes
Most fans have no idea what their good role players bring until they are gone. There is a serious lack of appreciation for “overpaid” mid-level guys.
Shocker, the Nuggets can’t just win a ring with just Jokic and a bunch of scrubs. They need a serious squad to compete for rings.
Not really. Scottie was a pretty good playmaker whereas Klay Thompson was not a playmaker at all.
Don’t have to be a playmaker to be a decent #1 option depending on how the offense is designed lol. We’ve seen players like Ray Allen, Reggie Miller, VC etc be successful.
All 3 of those players were much better than Klay.
Idk, on top of the playmaking thing, prime Klay also doesn’t really have a super deep bag. He can post up smaller guys and do like two dribbles into a pull up or drive, but he doesn’t have the handle or the playmaking to be a ball dominant first option, he’s an elite movement shooter as well as an elite catch and shoot guy. Theoretically you can pair him with a traditional PG and just run a bunch of sets to get him open, but Klay can’t get his own shot purely by himself as efficiently as the top end guys
Klay is really just the all time role player. Yes, he was an all star, but his skill set is the perfect 2⁄3 for a team provided you have a playmaker.
Ray and Reggie were still playmakers, just pretty poor ones. Klay is literally not a playmaker at all.
Also, all 3 guys were shot creators unlike Klay (who’s an absolutely elite catch and shoot guy but not much else).
Totally different. Klay has next to zero on ball skills that suggest he could be a number 1 option, Pippen did.
Edit: typo in Pippin (sic)
Pippen was a much more complete player than Klay ever was
????? Scottie did carry teams and it went about as well as one would expect from a top five-ish player.
Pippen is a player who played with a superstar for part of his career. That’s most guys, what point are you making?
Blazers Pippen was not a scrub. He would have a ring if his teammates didn’t fuck up in 2000 (or if the refs had a spine)
T-mac showed what he could do , but wish he stayed with Vince
Joe Johnson left a great PHX team to be the guy and thrived individually, Manu never left but thrived in team success. Harden left and hasn’t made it back to finals but has had a HOF career.
It would’ve worked out for Klays bank account tho.
What’s the difference between 3 rings and 4 rings when you can earn an extra 100m.
He might even rack up a few more all nba /all stars and further cement his legacy
No. He signed a 5 year max after getting hurt. The only way it could have changed his bank account would have been a more favorable state tax.
I don’t think it would have worked
and I doubt klay, just based on vibes and what we know about his personality, was actually going to test it out
It would have been another Shawn Marion situation.
I think he could have been the guy before he got injured vs Toronto, but by the time he left he had lost a lot of athleticism.
It would have worked 2015-21
it still wouldn’t. your number one option either needs to be a nearly generational big man or someone with great on ball skills. Klay is neither. He doesn’t have the bag or playmaking to be a number one on a real team. If you force fed klay as a number one option he’s putting up like 25 points with 6 turnovers a game
But he got hurt before he went out? He was already slow and washed when he left GS. His last season in GS was embarrassing
I agree. I think he’d be able to put up numbers but the team would be mediocre. Zach Lavine had multiple seasons around 25ppg and I think Klay was a better offensive player.
he could’ve been a number 1 option in his prime ~ 2019 with the right pieces around him. if klay magically was healthy that next season when curry was out, I think a klay/dray led team can still reach the playoffs
I don’t know about being the number 1 option on a championship team, but Klay could’ve definitely put up 30 a game if he had the opportunity to
I mean I believe this. He had mentioned wanting to “see what he’s worth” before signing a contract and the warrior gave him a pretty big deal despite him being hurt too
Idk if he actually left since the people here all just assumed he was saying it to get a bigger contract lol, but like him getting hurt in 2019 did kinda made his outside GSW negotiations a lot weaker
And 2019 GSW was a clear “end of a era” with KD wanting out and Steph dealing with injuries
Yet they won again just 3 years later so I would say the era never ended. I mean, it’s Curry’s era, the Warriors are his team.
Not KD’s era, not Klay’s team, Dray always just tagging along. It ain’t their eras, it ain’t their team, they’re the bus riders, Curry been driving.
2022 ended the era, as it closed Curry’s window. No one has expected him to win since, no one even expected the 2022 chip itself.
Draymond wasn’t just tagging along. Dude was the backbone of their defense, which was crucial to the Warriors success
Yeah I get people don’t like dray but saying he’s just been tagging along is wild. He was an integral piece to the dynasty.
People just hate Dray and don’t want to give him any credit. Anyone who says he was just there is telling on themselves as far as their (non)ball knowledge.
I hate his guts but he’s the 2nd most important behind Steph.
The dynasty never begins without him setting the emotional tone for that team as insufferable as he is
Wait, basketball is a team sport?????
tbh as much shit as people give Dray for “just tagging along” on offense that team simply does not work without him. Same with Klay. They are both first ballot HOFers and very much deservingly so
draymond was integral to that run, and arguably more valuable than klay
I wouldn’t even say it’s arguable. It was always Steph, Dray, Klay in order of importance for winning.
For 2022 it isn’t even arguable
dray always just tagging along
Man do we as nba fans love dragging great players through the mud
Oh 100% it just felt like in 2019 the warriors were finished for good. And I wouldn’t have blame Klay for thinking so too. Obviously they still and one more on them
The “bus driver” “bus rider” discussion has got to be some of the most elementary level basketball analysis I’ve ever seen.
And its funnier that it was started by a guy who, while he had a great career, never “drove” anything to a championship.
It’s funny bc in 2019-2020, people absolutely talked about the Warriors winning days being over. Soooo many of my non-Warriors friends told me we were cooked. And many were saying that Steph was no longer “that guy” bc he struggled a bit in his handful of 2019-20 games.
Even at the start of 2020-21, when we lost our first 2 games and Steph had a couple rough performances – remember the absolutely unhinged conversations being had after the Milwaukee loss (the 2nd of the season)?
Almost no one expected us to rise again and win another chip as we did in 2022. And honestly, Steph today is still as good as ever aside from health: a top 3 guy if you wanna win 1 playoff game. We just had a lucky storm of supporting pieces come together in ‘22, and have had unlucky moments since then (Steph’s hammy in ‘25, Jimmy’s ACL in ‘26, etc.).
Personally thought it was realistic they could squeeze one more if Wiggs played as well or better than HB
warriors paid klay the fresh cba max. he wasnt eligible for a supermax because he just missed all nba 3rd team that 2019 season.
Idk man if klay doesnt go down they might have won in 2019 and even if they dont thats 5 straight trips to the finals. I highly doubt klay just decides to give up on playing in a perfect situation for himself where he could also get a max.
I don’t remember the exact timeline but there was talk of MN trying to trade Love for Klay. Warriors ultimately said no but Klay presumably would have been the number 1 option here.
With the 1st pick in the 2020 NBA draft
The Minnesota timberwolves select
Jonny Flynn
For what ever reason, i was lethal with Jonny Flynn in 2K10
🤷♀️ if letting Klay lead you for a couple years nets you Anthony Edwards, I’m sure teams would be about it
Instead he gets a max contract to rehab, what’s the issue
If he didn’t get hurt, they might have a chance to win in 2019 and Klay might think a few more all nba/all star seasons is better for his legacy that playing 2nd/3rd fiddle
what’s the issue
Who said there was an issue?
ive noticed this on reddit a lot. everything has to be an argument
no it doesn’t
Yes it does
No issue, it’s just an interesting what if.
And then won another title
Wouldnt have won a title but so many comments are underrating pre-injury Klay. He was a lot better than some first options out there.
Which? Klay is one of the greatest catch and shoot guys of all time and was a fantastic defender, but I feel like he’s severely lacking the on-ball skills to be the first option as a guard.
Doesn’t even have to be the one dribbling to be the focal point of an offense e: like Reggie Miller
Good luck with that if you’re the 1st option.
I’d make a Reggie Miller comparison
again, I said he wouldn’t win a title…
Reggie Miller is just a way better player than Klay.
Ballhandling, ability to manipulate to defense, going to the free throw, create his own offense and he was also better in postseason.
Yeah I don’t get draymonds take, Miller was better by a good amount. Klay doesn’t have the leadership skills required to make his team really contend
You got an idea of what it could be like on the 2016 playoffs when Curry missed some time, and Klay was really good
Doubt it would have been enough to win a championship, but I can see why someone might think Klay had a chance tohave a Harden-like leap in him.
The most one dimensional game plan of all time ain’t gonna cut it.
Reggie got to the free throw line, he was not just a three point guy
Per 100 possessions…
Reggie Miller: between 7-10 FTA per game
Klay Thompson: between 2-5 FTA per game
and reggie’s jumped up even higher in the playoffs.
Reggie could just score, he was not just a spot up shooter.
Klay could do more too, his FTA would probably have gone up if he was the first option like him
That sounds like a fantastic second option
Hell, even AI played off-ball catch-n-shoot style sometimes once Larry Brown showed up.
Reminder, he created all those 37 points in that one quarter. The Kings knew he was going to shoot and they couldn’t stop him. Steph passed him the ball but didn’t create those shots.
He’d do fine as the first scoring option if paired with a pass-first point guard. So I guess it’s a question of what you mean by “first option”. Like in the 2024-25 season Siakam had more PPG than Haliburton, that’s the kind of situation I’d see Klay doing well in.
Then you did not watch him play at all. He was elite at creating his own shot. He averaged almost 29 a game in the Playoffs with Curry injured for that 7-game stretch in 2016. He was elite from both mid-range and 3 and a decent finisher around the rim in his prime. That’s not to say he would’ve just dominated the ball like your traditional superstar guard but he could’ve easily been the #1 option if you built an offense around him.
Maybe it’s crazy but I think he could have won a title as the first option.
Though the team would have to be really well crafted around him specifically.
I’m sorry but Klay as a number 1 option would never work. Pure catch and shoot he’s an all time great, but number 1 options need to be players that can create their own shot at will. That was never his game.
I think the point is he felt confident it could be his game, and wanted to play that out. I think the alternate universe where Klay is healthy and gets 2 years to learn how to be the No. 1 guy would’ve been interesting. He could’ve been a better version of Reggie Miller
Klay averaged 25 points per 75 as a #2. He doesn’t have to be better than Reggie to be a #1 or a scorer himself.
I agree but the fact that is the consensus opinion might be why he (allegedly) wanted to try.
He didn’t have anything else to prove as a roleplayer.
Ray Allen was an emerging number 1 for the Bucks at 25. He drove a lot more then because people played his shooting much more aggressively. Fuck George Karl
Ray Allen got game tho. There was even a documentary on it with Denzel.
You talking about Mr. Shuttlesworth I think. Certfied baller
Klay would have been pushing 30 by that free agency period though. I’m not sure that I can recall a similar player situation that late into their careers… Id also say that Allen was a much more well rounded player early in his career
Yeah you’re not inbounding the ball to him down 1 with 8 seconds left to create the winning shot for himself or someone else.
You’re inbounding it to an actual #1 guy to maybe find Klay in the corner if the D helps down.
maybe not true number one but he could have been in a reggie miller type role
Agreed, the Reggie Miller comparison didn’t make sense to me.
Both are all-time shooters but to be first option you need that leader mentality that Miller had, Klay is the perfect second option.
Klay averaged like 20 as a rookie when he was the #1 option with a bunch of GLeaguers.
So I think that’s the absolute baseline.
He also is a willing passer and with a lob threat absolutely gets assists.
He’s not a primary ball handler but he would 100% get it done. Get him a Mike Conley type PG.
The whole point is that he didn’t get the chance to try it. He had all the skills to be that guy, they just didn’t need him to be most of the time.
Highly doubt klay ever thought he would be the number 1 option
I mean tbf he was coming off a 5th consecutive all star. Someone would have offered him a lot of money to attempt to build around a 29 year old Klay at this period. Doubt it works but have to also remember the warriors were at a point where it all seemed over (Steph got hurt, and KD wanted out) so it would have been a logical time for him to leave if this is true
All star. Only two time all nba
He only made All NBA twice… the most recent one being 4 years prior to this specific offseason.
Curry wasn’t hurt until the season started. There’s no reason to think GSW couldn’t continue building off Curry, Klay, and Draymond. Thats literally what they ended up doing and it got them another ring
Why would you think they wouldn’t keep a healthy Klay if they actually choose to keep him after a career altering injury?
He’s a great player, but also a “catch and shoot” guy. Hard to have a guy like that be you’re number 1 on offense.
To be fair, he was developing a more on ball game in 2019 before he got hurt. Not sure how it would have looked if he was THE guy though.
He only have 2 all nba selections and I remember he got visibly frustrated after learning that he did not make all nba in 2019.
Maybe he wants more individual accolades after 3 (possible 4) rings after 2019 if he didn’t get injured
He’s one of the greatest shooters ever and a very strong defender.
He probably could have been the top scorer on a team. Not the primary ball handler. But the top scorer.
Much worse players have been a number one option in the NBA.
MPJ nets
Lou Williams number one option made the playoffs but people are complaining about Klay trying to be one. People said Jaylen Brown can’t dribble and he made the playoffs as the number one option.
Entirely not his fault
I think prime Klay is becoming criminally underrated, if he’s not the 2nd greatest shooter of all time than he’s the 3rd greatest shooter of all time while brining it on the defensive side.
He was absolutely capable of being a number 1 option. That why the ‘17 warriors were ridiculous, they had 3 number option level players on one team with Draymond who is an all time great defender.
Those dubs teams were so stacked with talent man it’s ridiculous Lebron even got one against them, even without KD those warriors teams were far deeper and superior to the Cavs teams, LeBron was the only advantage for the Cavs
Everyone forgets Steve Kerr. He designed an offense to make them thrive.
no one on this sub will ever believe this, but there have been playoff series where klay was the first option. he did very well. i definitely think he could have been a first option
Show the data. He’s never had a significant stretch as a primary creator or option.
The data is in his playoff series stats on bballref.
Klay almost always delivered when another star was hurt. Curry missed significant playoff time in both 2016 and 2018, and Durant did in 2019.
Maybe in stretches of a few games, but over an entire season I dont see it
Yeah he’s never been a very strong dribbler or finisher, think him being the #1 option would quickly show those limitations and it’s hard to imagine him excelling as a result.
He would have to have very specific team build around him - strong point guard and maybe one more iso scorer (doesnt have to be efficient one). Maybe Raptors where you put him instead of Kawhi and get a Middleton type player instead of OG
Scoring more than the first option doesn’t mean you were the first option though.
I mean, what would the offense structure look like in your opinion? Klay isn’t the lead pick and roll creator, he isn’t someone who you’ll go 5-out set and have him create an advantage, and you aren’t playing him off the elbows or through the post. Those aren’t his strengths and also take away his best skill, catch and shoot 3s. You can run the Steph off-ball stuff for him, but a big part of why Steph is Steph is that he can do it off the dribble too. Reggie Miller off-ball screening to death as the best player was in a much slower era.
Interesting perspective. Dray would know as much as anyone about that. Curious to think about how the NBA might have been different since then if that happened.
Klay as a first option, I’m not sure if it would’ve worked but we’ll never know now
Thr argument for it is not that he’d play like Harden but that he’d play a hybrid on/off ball role and empower some other undersized creator to punch above their weight. Like Rubio-Love-Klay, I don’t think he saw himself as Westbrook or something.
The man put up 60 points in 29min. People really saying he couldn’t have been a number 1 option. Number 1 option doesn’t mean primary ball handler. Swear people think the number 1 option on every team needs to be a LeBron or Luka and bring the ball up every time when that’s not the case and we’re just accustomed to that.
We have seen teams give huge amount of money to players who aren’t half the player Klay was. That same offseason Tobias Harris got a 180m deal, the kings signed two bad players for big money, the Lakers cleared up space to sign Kawahi and didn’t, and the Mavs at the time also were very active and had room
Can’t dribble nor create for others. Not a good passer either
Ahh come on, he was totally serviceable at both. Yeah, he wasn’t breaking any ankles or slicing up defenses with his passing. But he could drive-and-dish consistently, and he almost always made the right pass.
When you’re in the conversation for best 3-point shooter in history, you have the potential to be a #1 option.
I do think he would’ve had to pair with a high BBIQ, pass-first point guard to be his most successful self.
he got a nasty playmaking buff when trayce jackson davis was on the floor though
First thing’s first, fuck Reggie Miller.
With that out of the way, people absolutely misunderstand who he was as a player, and I’m shocked that a guy like Draymond (who knows the game, despite his many flaws) used such a lazy, shitty comparison.
Reggie was overrated as a pure 3 point shooter, but underrated in every other way. He was a very good defender, and an all-time elite mid range player, who could also draw fouls and basically never missed free throws.
Seriously, go back and watch his game and look at his stats- the man got buckets. Ugly, ugly, deplorable buckets, efficiently as fuck and at a pretty good volume considering how slowly his team played (Barkley and Mark Jackson were the reason the 5 second back to the basket rules were implemented).
Klay might have been a very good first option, but he wouldn’t have played anything like Reggie.
Can’t believe I scrolled this far to see someone who actually knew Reggie was a scorer, not just a three point shooter
and it was as fucking knicks fan. I’m disgusted.
edit: my numbers were off but here’s a great thinking basketball article
His midrange and post numbers are fucking ridiculous too. Tbh I think his game was so unique that it was hard to explain, which made people forget. “He hit a ton of clutch 3s” is way easier to communicate than “he had this weird in between, off ball, ugly ass post game combined with back cuts and movement….where he put up absolutely bonkers efficiency.” It’s something you have to see to appreciate because it’s just so different.
iirc he shot something like 53% from the midrange, and that’s before you consider how many free throws he got and how slowly the Pacers played for most of his career. Cheryl’s lil bro was hitting 65% true shooting- Barkley numbers at half the weight, and efficiency that would be elite even today.
To be clear, and I can’t stress this enough, fuck Reggie Miller.
Even if Klay didnt get hurt it wouldnt have worked out
Um Klay could have been the number one option as much as he wanted. But he’s a SG who can’t create his own shot so I doubt there was more of a number 1 option out there for him.
Honestly probably worked out best for his legacy that way.
I don’t think him going to be the #1 somewhere would have gone well
Would have been a terrible experiment for him. Klay is the ideal role player, not sure why he thought he would make it work as the main option ahen his whole career was built off Curry leaving him open more times than not.
I fully believe Klay thought that. He’s always had an inflated perception of his abiliies(true of many top level athletes). But he would not have done well as a No. 1 option.
He’s not saying he went to the mavs to be a number 1 right? Just that it’s something Klay would’ve tried inevitably if he hasn’t gotten hurt?? Makes sense tbh, wouldn’t be smart but I’d get it
I do believe he’d have wanted to try given how much he trying to create his own shots post-injury and how disappointed he was when he wasn’t included on the NBA 75 list.
There aren’t many stretches where he was both near all-star level and both Durant and Curry weren’t playing but off the top of my head Curry was injured for a short stint in the 2016 playoffs, 2022 season, and 2023 season.
In the 2023 Regular Season he averaged 26/5/3 on 45.2% FG% and 42.6% 3P% through 20 games: https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/klay-thompson-stats-without-steph-curry-2023
In the 2022 Regular Season he averaged 26/4/3 on 45.7% FG% and 43.9% 3P% through 9 games: https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/klay-thompson-stats-without-stephen-curry-2022-season
In the 2016 Playoffs he averaged 30/4/3 on 46.2% FG% and 42.9% 3P% through 6 games: https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/klay-thompson-stats-without-steph-curry-in-2016-playoffs
Obviously not a very big sample size and stats will not tell the whole story but saying he doesn’t have a bag and leaving it at that is underselling it. Watching him play, while his on-ball creation was pretty limited to dribble pull-ups, he was decently big at SG and could shoot over players fairly well. He could still find his shot if need be and his shot-making was elite.
I could see him being looked at in the same general area as Ray Allen or Reggie Miller as first options depending on the level of the teams he’d play for. As a best-case scenario, maybe he’d have a top 10 level season as well. I don’t think he’s a championship-level first option, but I think he’d be pretty good.
He absolutely kept the Warriors in playoff contention in 2023. And then basically disappeared against the Lakers in the playoffs. But I agree that pre-injury Klay would have done a lot better than people think as a first option.
where would he even go back then lol
I doubt it was ever about being a “number.” Klay was obviously regressing towards the end of his time in GS.
If Reggie Miller could do it, Klay could do it.
Reggie moved in ways Klay couldn’t.
Reggie style is more comparable to Steph.
I love Klay. But I don’t see him being a number 1 option even when healthy.
Reggie Miller was a far better player.
He’s ball handling and playmaking left much to desired, he could be a teams leading scorer do in that sense a number 1 option but never a teams best player
Would not have gone well at all
I mean it’s pointless to talk about now but Reggie had more to his game on offense that could translate to a #1 than Klay. He was going to the ft line 7⁄8 times a game in his early years.
I mean dray knows him personally so I don’t have any reason to not believe him
he was low-key a number one at wsu. wasn’t bad either
He’s number two
Would have been wild if Klay had that shot a couple years earlier and like 3 big injuries ago.
that year in 2019, the substation had the craziest range to affect the dubs
I don’t think it would work, but I also didn’t think James harden would be a good #1. Shows what I know.
anyone who thinks Booker is better than Prime Klay is delulu
Reggie played in the 90s. Very different type of ball than today and mid 2010s. Sometimes I hear Draymond talk basketball and wonder if he understands wht he’s saying. I’m confusion. Could just be that Klay is his boy and he refuses to say anything demeaning about him.
Never really saw Klay as a straight No1 option, he’s too one dimensional for that. But I get this could have happened after 2019.
We have to remember that Klay and Steph were doing something unique then, that now is common.
He was a top 20 player then so… yes, it is plausible.
Klay has always been ok with being the number 2. This dates back to college.
Despite the mention of Reggie Miller, people ITT seem to have a distorted idea of what Klay being a #1 option would mean. It woudln’t mean he stepped into Steph’s role or had to be the ballhandler and playmaker. Reggie Miller played with Mark Jackson and Rik Smits. Give Klay a team with a good PG and center, and prime Klay could have been your #1 scoring option. I think that’s what Dray means.
I know Draymond played with him, but I just can’t see Klay wanting to be the number one option. Nothing about his game or personality said that.
Will Miami Heat serve him better than Warriors?
I mean Monta Ellis was a No.1 option, so it does not mean much to be a No.1 option.
he was willing warriors to win that finals in 19 before he got hurt
Green is not a trustworthy source on anything. He did this to himself.
You can’t compare Klay to Reggie, Draymond. Reggie had to learn how to be the 1A guy on the team, the grit, and having the sheer will to lead a team to win. These experiences may have taken him years to figure it out, but it’s rinse and repeat and those repitition is what separates him from Klay, I think. Klay is by far the better shooter, but Reggie had more experiences as the go-to guy.
How you guys put it: there’s levels to this shit.
Why is this guy such a dickhead man.
Are they talking when Klove and Klay were rumoured to be traded for each other?
Sixty points on eleven dribbles once, and never a season below 38 percent from three, so the number one option experiment would have at least been fascinating. Honest question for the thread, what does a 2019 Klay season with 22 shots a night even look like?
I think people often jump to the conclusion that Klay wanted to try to be the THE number 1 option and would fail, but I think given his personality and play style, he likely just wanted a bigger role as something like a true 1B status to a 1A.
Curry was just too integral and iconic in the Golden State team where everyone around him just felt like they were along for the Curry ride despite their talents.
Press “x” to doubt.