Klay Thompson had his highest scoring night of the season on Thursday, after coming off the bench for the first time since his rookie season in 2012.
The veteran All-Star totalled 35 points and six rebounds in the Warriors’ 140-137 over the Jazz and after the win, explained how coming off the bench benefitted him.
“Coming off the bench gave me fresh legs, especially on a back-to-back, that was nice to come in with a fresh, clean slate,” Thompson said.
While it was definitely an adjustment for Klay, he told reporters he drew inspiration from a Spurs legend.
“I thought about Manu Ginobili,” Thompson said. “That guy has four rings and a gold medal, and he came off the bench his whole career. And I don’t think anyone looks down on his Hall of Fame candidacy because he’s one of the greats.
“I embraced it before tip.”
Golden State head coach Steve Kerr lauded Thompson’s response to the benching after the win.
“The way he came out determined, competitive — that’s not easy,” Kerr said. “To come off the bench for the first time [in 12 years], that’s difficult but Klay is a champion. He’s one of the most competitive people I’ve ever met and he responded accordingly and played a great, great game.”
“He was just being himself but I think the fuel that fed his competitiveness was the decision that I made and he wasn’t thrilled about it. But I didn’t expect him to be thrilled about it but as I said he’s just such a competitor.”
Brandin Podziemski replaced Thompson in the starting lineup, but despite how well the switch worked, Kerr isn’t committing to it just yet.
“It doesn’t mean it’s permanent but as I said I like that lineup with BP and the other four and Klay coming off the bench gives us a lot of firepower. We’ll give it a little look and we’ll see how it goes from there,” Kerr said.
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