Photo credit: ESPN
NBA Star Player Gets Benched for the First time since 2012.
Published February 16, 2024 at 10:10
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NBA Star Klay Thompson did not start for the Golden State Warriors for the first time since 2012 on Thursday night. This ends a streak of 727 consecutive starts for the star player. Coincidentally, Thompson ended up having his best night of the year scoring 35 points in 28 minutes off the bench. This may have been a statement from Thompson, saying he still has it and can score in bunches even with limited minutes.
«He wasn't thrilled about it,» Kerr said of informing Thompson of the decision before Thursday's game. «I didn't expect him to be thrilled about it.»
Kerr has said this was not a punishment for Thompson by any means but more of a strategic move for the Warriors. Rookie Brandin Podziemski was inserted into the starting lineup because him alongside, Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins and Jonathan Kuminga has been potent for the Warriors, as those five are outscoring opponents by 57 points when on the court together. It also doubles with Thompson adding much needed offensive punch to the second unit as being the 6th man.
Thompson decided on embracing the moment before tip-off making his own comments after the game:
«You can do two things. You can pout or you can go out there and respond. I thought I did the latter very well tonight,» Thompson said (Twitter video link via NBC Sports Bay Area). « I realize I'm going to play a ton of minutes, so you've just got to let the ego go when you think of coming off the bench and all that. I thought about Manu Ginobili, 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. He's one of the greats. The moment you worry about what people say or what headlines will be written about being benched or the streak being broken, is when you go out there and you don't play with that love, that compassion for your teammates, and that freedom that has gotten me to this point. So, I realized that I didn't want to go to All-Star break on a sour note, and I had my best game of the season. Hopefully (can) build off it.
Maybe the Warriors are on to something, they have a potent starting 5 and a motivated Thompson as the 6th man. We will have to wait and see if they can keep this rotation going while keeping everyone on court happy.
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