With Klay Thompson's rehab reaching its final stage, the Warriors star is ramping up his 5-on-5 and 3-on-3 work as his return nears.
With the Warriors recently on a road trip, that meant former teammate and current Golden State executive Zaza Pachulia got to lace them up with his good friend to help in the rehab process.
"I like what I see from [both Thompson and James Wiseman]," Pachulia told 95.7 The Game's "The Morning Roast" on Tuesday.
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"Once the team was gone on the East Coast road trip, I spent a lot of time in the gym with Klay and James and they look great and they feel great. Klay obviously is cleared for full contact. He played some of the 3-on-3, 5-on-5 games. I played with Klay. One thing I didn't realize until now, the last time Klay and I played the game together and we haven't played since 2019.
"Obviously, I retired and he got injured. And we were back on the court together. It felt so good, honestly, I enjoyed my last week. It was great. Playing with the guy and setting the screen for him, some back-door passes and getting him wide-open on the 3-point shot and between the leg passes. It was amazing. He is coming along and he is motivated and he is moving really well."
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The Warriors have roared out to a 15-2 start without Thompson or Wiseman and look like the most complete team in the NBA. Thompson's impending return has energized a Warriors team that spent the last two seasons out of the playoff picture.
Golden State Warriors
They know Thompson's return is close, and it has given them extra juice to open the season.
"I mean from a mental standpoint alone, it's huge," Draymond Green said after the Warriors' win over the Brooklyn Nets on Nov. 16. "I think it also helps with the way other teams view you as well. We're looking forward to getting him back. We know what he brings to the table. We're not expecting him to be Klay Thompson of 2018 right away, but he has worked his ass off. He has worked his ass off for this moment and I'm looking forward to getting him back out there."