Being left out of Golden State Warriors’ closing lineups in recent games isn’t sitting well with veteran shooting guard Klay Thompson. Speaking with reporters after a 98-109 win against the Brooklyn Nets on Monday, Thompson said that it is “very hard” for him to spend most of the fourth quarter on the bench.
Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr opted to keep Thompson on the bench in the closing minutes of last week’s 101-121 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. He did the same against the Nets, taking Thompson out with 7:19 remaining in the fourth quarter and not going back to him for the remainder of the contest.
When asked by reporters how he feels about being left out in the most important moments of recent games, Thompson didn’t hide his disappointment.
“You kidding me? Go from, you know, one of the best players … it’s hard for anybody,” said Thompson. “I’ll be honest with you. It’s very hard.”
The 2023-24 season has been a difficult one for Klay Thompson. He is averaging 17.1 points per game, his lowest since his second year in the NBA. Also, he is shooting career-low 37.1% from beyond the arc.
The Warriors are currently sitting 12th in the Western Conference with a 22-25 record. They are 11.5 games behind the leading Oklahoma City Thunder but just one game behind the Utah Jazz, who hold the last play-in spot.
