Warriors coach Steve Kerr knew Klay Thompson’s return to the court was going to be a process.
The three-time NBA champion made his long-awaited comeback on Jan. 9 against the Cleveland Cavaliers following a two-and-a-half-year hiatus from the hardwood.
In his first six games back, Klay was averaging 14.7 points on 37 percent shooting from the field and 30 percent from behind the arc.
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But Kerr and Dub Nation remained patient.
That patience has now run out for some fans as the regular season comes winding down.
On March 30, Klay had one of the worst shooting nights of the season in the Warriors’ 107-103 loss to the Phoenix Suns. He finished with 13 points on 24 percent shooting from the field and 10 percent from the 3-point line.
Meanwhile, his teammate Jordan Poole was having everything but a bad shooting night. The 23-year-old guard finished with a game-high 38 points on 50 percent shooting from the field and 47 percent from deep.
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Poole has been extraordinary in his breakout season with Golden State. But we’ve really seen his true growth since Steph Curry has been out with an injury.
So what does that mean for JP when Steph returns to the lineup?
Well, Warriors Twitter has certainly had some suggestions lately. Some fans have demanded that Poole should take Klay’s spot once Steph is back.
Poole isn’t playing like a bench player, but also, it’s Klay, the five-time All-Star, he'd be replacing.
The man whose opinion actually matters weighed in on the topic on Wednesday.
“I was never pulling Klay out of the closing unit,” Kerr said on “The TK Show." “When he first came back we had multiple discussions about what to expect, we had to talk about his role, he was at that 20-minute mark and it was really hard to find that rotation pattern that made sense where he could still close the game.
"So we had to navigate through that for the first few weeks. And then he’s been up and down by his own admission trying too hard. So we’ve had multiple discussions about just trying to keep the game simple, take good shots, move the ball and the ball will come back to you. That’s all part of coaching.”
Thompson and Poole shared an emotional moment after combining for 67 points in the Warriors’ huge 111-107 comeback win over the Utah Jazz on April 2. It was the perfect affirmation that showed these two aren’t feeding into the outside noise, and truly just want to win.
Aside from a few hiccups here and there, Klay’s game has dramatically improved since his return.
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There are still plenty of people who believe in the five-time All-Star, including Kerr.
“The part of coaching where anybody who says I might have to take him out of the closing lineup clearly doesn’t understand real coaching," he said. "Real coaching is communicating with your players every day and feeding them confidence and treating them with respect and collaborating with them. … Sounds great on paper if he’s struggling, and everybody has their solution. But these are human beings, they’re not robots. My belief in our players is a huge part of coaching, and I will ride with Klay forever.”