Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson said he's fine with Milwaukee Bucks guard Jason Terry calling him a "B-side player" as long as he gets to win championships. In an appearance on SiriusXM NBA radio on Monday, Thompson laughed off that apparent dig from Terry, who also used the term to describe San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard.
"I honestly don't even know what that means," Thompson said. "Whatever Jason wants to call me, I'll be a B-side player. I'll be a B-side player on the way to compete for championships. It's OK with me. I don't even know what that means, man.
"Kawhi Leonard a B-side player?" Thompson continued. "The man was a Finals MVP. One of the best two-way players in the game. So I don't get that. I don't know. That confuses me, though."
Terry's comments came in September, also on SiriusXM NBA radio. He argued that his former Houston Rockets teammate James Harden was much better than Thompson, so much so that the two should be put in different categories.
"Let's get James Harden, move him to the side over here," Terry said. "He's an A-side performer, right? Let's go to the B-side, the B-side performers in the NBA. That is Kawhi Leonard and Klay Thompson. Those two right there.
"B-sides mean a supporting cast role, but not really a bench player," he continued. "The A-side is your superstar. It is your great player. It is your guy. That's LeBron James, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry, these guys. Chris Paul."
Terry's distinction seems arbitrary. Leonard is the two-time reigning Defensive Player of the Year who also happens to be one of the better offensive players in the league. There's a real argument that he's a better overall player than Harden. Thompson should also never be dismissed as a "supporting cast" player -- he's one of the best shooters on the planet as well as one of the league's top perimeter defenders. No, he's not the playmaker that Harden is, but he is still quite obviously a star.
The great thing about Thompson is he truly doesn't care. This quality has made him into a great interview subject over the past couple of seasons, despite the fact that he doesn't have a big personality. Remember his quip in July in response to people like Harden saying that there's only one ball? "There's one ball. Guess what we'll do -- we'll put it in the hoop," Thompson said. This is similar -- Thompson is clear that he just wants to win games, and as long as the Warriors do that, it doesn't matter what people call him.
