WARRIORS PRACTICE FACILTY, OAKLAND, CA — Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson is shooting just 22 for his last 70 (31.4%) over his last four games:
- 9-for-23 against the Boston Celtics,
- 3-for-17 against the Brooklyn Nets,
- 5-for-16 against the Milwaukee Bucks, and
- 5-for-14 against the Dallas Mavericks.
“We’re sixty games into the season,” nine-year veteran center Andrew Bogut said at practice yesterday. “Maybe he’s a little tired. He didn’t really get to rest that All-Star weekend.”
“Everyone goes through lulls,” Bogut said. “I think Steph(en Curry) had a similar lull a couple weeks ago, some games where he was missing wide-open shots, but they’ve got to keep shooting and that’s the mindset of those two guys.”
After the Mavericks game two nights ago, he told Bay Area News Group reporter Diamond Leung that his new ANTA shoes were being adjusted for a better fit.
Thompson even took in some extra shots after the sub-par outing against the Bucks four days ago, returning to the Oracle Arena floor.
“I just like to shoot,” he said, “Sometimes I just got random urges to and one of them was last night.”
Shooters never like to admit they are in a slump, however, and Thompson did not expand on it the next day at practice, shrugging it off.
“I don’t know who told you all, but that’s cool,” Thompson quipped, and waited for the next question.
He later told Damon Bruce on a weekly radio interview with 95.7 The Game, “Honestly, it felt good to be back at Oracle, man. It felt like we were on the road for an eternity this last month.”
“It’d been awhile since I played at Oracle, so just to get a feel of the arena again and just to get a little more workout. That’s it. It was that simple.”
However, Steve Kerr pointed to a more systemic issue.
“We’ve lost our rhythm offensively we’re not setting good screens, we don’t have good spacing in our half-court stuff and so Klay’s had to take harder shots,” Kerr explained at practice yesterday. “It’s all about helping each other. The bigs need to help Klay by setting better screens to free him up, Klay needs to help our team by not dribbling into traffic and getting caught in spots where he doesn’t need to be, and if we do both of those things, everybody’s going to benefit. Klay will get easier shots, we’ll get into a better groove.”
The team talked about it during film session that morning.
“We’re a rhythm team,” Kerr said. “We have a lot of skill but we move the ball, a lot of player movement, but when it’s sort of listless, without purpose, you’re not forcing any defensive chain reaction and you’re not forcing the rotations, you’re less likely to get an opening where you can attack and that’s what I see.
“We’re trying to move the ball, we’re trying to put it on the floor and create stuff, but without any advantage that’s been gained through our execution first. So we’re in difficult spots and when Klay gets the ball, he doesn’t have the openings that he normally does.”
Bogut added, “He works hard. He puts time in. We have confidence that when his feet are set, he’s going to make it.”
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