MENDENHALL CENTER, LAS VEGAS, NV — Earlier last month after the trade was made, Jason Thompson was introduced to a small group of media at the Warriors’ practice facility. As Carl Steward of the Bay Area News Group reported:
Thompson’s blend of offensive and defensive skills as well as his ability to play center and forward figures to make a deep Warriors front line even deeper. He doesn’t know what his role will be or how much time he’ll get on the floor, but he’s keeping an open mind.
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“That’s for coach (Steve) Kerr to decide and me to go with it, but it’s a little different approach when a team comes off winning a championship,” he said. “But I’m probably going to be smiling more. This is a championship team, and talking to the guys, I know it wasn’t easy to make it happen, and I know it’s even harder to repeat. I’m going to do everything in my power to be a great locker room guy and find ways to produce.”
Thompson praised the Warriors, especially as a seven-year veteran with the nearby Sacramento Kings.
“Being a division rival and playing against (the Warriors) four times a year, you just seen them over the years. I feel like I had a lot of battles against them. Obviously, the past couple years, they’ve just been at a different level,” added Thompson that day. “They have a system where guys know they can put up a lot of points but they sacrifice it for wins.”
At USA Basketball’s Men’s National Team‘s mini-camp a few weeks later, the four Warriors that were in attendance approved of the trade.
Harrison Barnes, in particular, was confident of Thompson’s impending transition into the Warriors’ chemistry.
“Aw man, he’s a great player,” said Barnes. “He has a lot of energy. He’ll mesh well with the team. He’s kind of one of those personalities similar to (Leandro) Barbosa, Shaun Livingston, Andre (Iguodala) when he first came, where it’ll be a pretty seamless transition for him off the court, which will make his entrance on the court that much simpler.”
The 6’11”, 250-lb power forward/center, who started 405 of the 541 games he played for the Kings, Thompson has good numbers against some of the marquee power forwards in the league and one well-known NBA writer, Tom Ziller, suggested that Thompson could be a LaMarcus Aldridge-stopper.
“He definitely brings more added size against the (San Antonio) Spurs team, if we needed to go big. He adds to that dimension, a veteran guy,” said Draymond Green, “a good rebounder guy who can knock down that 15-, 16-foot shot and does a lot around the paint.”
The other Thompson couldn’t wait to be paired up with him.
“Oh, it was a big pickup for us, another big body, great shooter, good rebounder,” said Klay Thompson. “I know that Jason’s excited to come play with us. It’s exciting to be part of a winning culture and be part of something special.”
Klay even liked the hat that JT wore to the trade announcement.
“Yeah, good look,” said Klay.
But Green and Barnes couldn’t disagree more.
“No. Not at all,” said Green when asked if he approved of JT’s hat. “But that’s not for me to improve on. But no.”
“Ah, the hat’s gonna need some work,” said Barnes. “Once he gets in the group chat we’ll definitely kill him about that one, but he’s a good guy.”
We can’t wait to ask Iguodala, known to sport a few hats of his own, about it.
Better hat game, @andre or @carmeloanthony? #Warriors #Knicks pic.twitter.com/4TiamgCdB4
— LetsGoWarriors (@LetsGoWarriors) December 21, 2014
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(Photo: @warriors)
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