Charles Barkley said Tuesday night that Klay Thompson’s play was “slipping” and that he’s “not the identical guy” since his ACL and Achilles injuries.
Thompson didn’t appreciate the NBA legend and TNT analyst’s comments.
“It hurts when someone like Charles Barkley, with the platform he has, says you’re not the identical player as prior to the injuries you had. It’s like, ‘no duh, man’,” the Warriors star said after Thursday’s win over the Miami Heat. “I tore my ACL and my Achilles in consecutive years and still helped a team win a championship. I mean, that hurt hearing that.”
Thompson was injured during Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals and didn’t return until Jan.9 2022 — a span of 941 days. The three-point threat said he’ll going to make use of Barkley’s comments to fuel him further.
“I played 55, 57 games in three years, like, give me some freaking time to get that back,” he said. “To listen to someone say, ‘Oh, he’s not similar to he was prior to the injuries.’ Like, duh. Who goes through something like that and comes back? Like, I don’t know, it just hurt my heart hearing that. But, you understand what? I’m gonna internalize it and it’s gonna be fuel for me to be even higher. I’m very pleased with what we completed last 12 months, and I feel like I used to be an enormous a part of it. I’m not gonna let these injuries be a crutch for me. I’m just gonna keep going and I’m gonna have a terrific 12 months. Bet on that.”
Thompson indeed got back to splashing shortly after Barkley struck a nerve: He hit five three-pointers Thursday, including 4 within the second half, en path to a season-high 19-point performance and a 123-110 win over the Miami Heat.
Five games into the season, nevertheless, he’s averaging 12.6 points per game on 31% three-point shooting. Those numbers likely prompted Barkley’s comments.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said he’s not concerned with Thompson’s performance thus far this season.
“He puts numerous pressure on himself. He desires to be great on a regular basis,” Kerr said. “But given the character of his camp and probably not having the ability to play a ton going into the season, I believe he’s catching up and he’s realizing that. So he’s just gotta go a bit lighter on himself.”
It’s still very early within the season, however the defending champions sit at 3-2, with losses to the Nuggets and Suns. Don’t let that record idiot you, though. The Warriors will of course be in the combo for a fifth NBA Championship within the Splash Brothers era come spring.
