The Golden State Warriors came into the 2020 season hoping to compete for an NBA title once again. Unfortunately, Klay Thompson ended up suffering a season-ending Achilles injury just before the 2020 NBA Draft.
This week, Stephen Curry spoke with Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle and revealed what he told his teammate after everything that went down.
“Be around the team as much as you can this season,” he said. “We need you.”
Thompson tore his ACL in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals, leading to him missing the entirety of the 2019-20 season. The hope was that he would come back at full strength this year, but obviously that is now out of the question.
“I know he was working hard to get back,” Curry said.
“But he’ll bring that same effort, commitment and focus to this rehab. We, as his teammates, have to have his back and try to be positive and uplifting through the whole process because it’s tough. There’s no denying that. He’s young. He’s got a lot of amazing years left. We believe that, truly and fully. I know he does.”
Opinions on how the Warriors will ultimately fare without Thompson this year vary. One Eastern Conference exec completely dismissed their chances of making the postseason.
“I think they have almost no shot at the playoffs,” he said.
“Unless Draymond [Green] has a renaissance, Steph [Curry] might be everything that he’s ever been and they still might not make the playoffs.”
When confronted about Tim Duncan’s sexuality, Danny Green kept it real. https://t.co/A2W9DCA1p3
— Game 7 (@game7__) December 18, 2020
Others believe that Curry at full strength, coupled with the newly-acquired Kelly Oubre Jr., may be enough to make some noise in the Western Conference.
As things currently stand, Golden State sits behind the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Milwaukee Bucks, Brooklyn Nets, Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors, Denver Nuggets, Philadelphia 76ers and Dallas Mavericks when it comes to 2021 NBA Title odds.
Will the Warriors be able to shock the world? Time will tell.
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Charles Kruger has been credentialed to cover two Super Bowls, four NBA Finals, and one World Series. A 20-year veteran in the sports world, he has sources spanning the NBA, MLB, NFL, UFC and NASCAR. Currently residing in Los Angeles, Calif., he is Game 7’s go-to source for rumors surrounding the Lakers, Clippers and Dodgers.
