Though most Golden State Warriors fans expected Klay Thompson to be out for a bulk of this season, it seems like the organization doesn’t want to rush him back from injury and has made a decision as to when he will return.
During an interview with NBC Sports Bay Area, Coach Steve Kerr said it is realistic that he misses the entire season due to his torn ACL:
“It’s unlikely that he’s going to play this year. So we have to understand that. You have to look at it realistically. I had an ACL [tear] in college, and I missed a whole season. Generally, an ACL for a basketball player is a full-year recovery, and if it’s a full year for Klay, that puts [him] out for the season. We’ve kind of left the door open in case the rehab goes perfectly and the doctors say he can go. But the reality is, on April 1, that’s the nine-month mark. … April versus nine months post-op for an ACL.
“We have to prepare our young guys to fill that role behind him, and when he gets back, whenever that is, hopefully these young guys now are developed and in the rotation and ready to really be contributors on a playoff team and we can get better.”
Luckily, the Warriors acquired D’Angelo Russell in the offseason, which could offset his production on offense, but Golden State will struggle on defense, where Klay would lock-down the best player on the other team as one of the best two-way players in the entire league.
Bob Myers said last month that they will have a better update by All-Star, though that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be back by then.
OS REWIND: Klay Thompson Officially Agrees to 5-Year, $190M MAX Contract with Golden State
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