SAN FRANCISCO -- Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson scorched the nets with four 3-pointers in the second half of Thursday night's 123-110 win over the Miami Heat, but after the game he set his sights on a different target.
Before leaving the podium after fielding questions from the media, Thompson said he had "one thing to say," and proceeded to address recent comments from Hall of Famer and current TNT analyst Charles Barkley, who said on Tuesday night that Thompson's play was "slipping" and that "he's not the same guy" following back-to-back injuries to his ACL and Achilles.
Thompson did not appreciate the comments from Barkley, and implored him to try a little empathy while he continues his recovery.
"It hurts when someone like Charles Barkley, with the platform he has, says you're not the same player as prior to the injuries you had. It's like, no duh, man," Thompson said. "I tore my ACL and my Achilles in consecutive years and still helped a team win a championship. I mean, that hurt hearing that. Because it's like, man, I put in so much freaking effort to get back to this point. Like, it's hard to even put into words what I had to do to be the player I am today.
"I played 55, 57 games in three years, like, give me some freaking time to get that back. To hear someone say, 'Oh, he's not the same as he was prior to the injuries.' Like, duh. Who goes through something like that and comes back? Like, I don't know, it just hurt my heart hearing that. But, you know what? I'm gonna internalize it and it's gonna be fuel for me to be even better. I'm very proud of what we accomplished last year, and I feel like I was a huge part of it. I'm not gonna let these injuries be a crutch for me. I'm just gonna keep going and I'm gonna have a great year. Bet on that."
Klay was hurt by Charles Barkley's comments about him not being the same player he was before the injuries pic.twitter.com/8Rq2CmbeRf
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) October 28, 2022
Due to his injuries, Thompson went 941 days between NBA games -- from Game 6 of the 2019 Finals to Jan. 9, 2022. Despite some inconsistency, he averaged 20.4 points on 38.5 percent 3-point shooting in 32 games to finish the 2021-22 season. He then put up 19 points per game on 38.5 percent 3-point shooting during the playoffs while earning his fourth NBA championship.
Thompson has gotten off to a rough start to the 2022-23 season, which likely prompted Barkley's comments. Thompson's memory of tearing his Achilles created a mental block that caused him to avoid playing pick-up games over the summer, leading to a minutes limit to begin the season. Including Thursday night, Thompson is averaging 12.6 points per game this season while shooting 34 percent from the field and 31 percent from the 3-point line -- obviously well below his career marks.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr and guard Stephen Curry have both said Thompson is due for a breakout game, and Thompson himself echoed the sentiment in his postgame comments on Thursday. Kerr also remarked how Thompson has gotten off to slow shooting starts in the past, so he's not too concerned with this one.
"I remember the one year he had four or five tough shooting nights, and then he made 14 3s in Chicago to set the all-time record," Kerr said. "He puts a lot of pressure on himself. He wants to be great all the time. But given the nature of his camp and not really being able to play a ton going into the season, I think he's catching up and he's realizing that. So he's just gotta go a little lighter on himself."
