Klay Thompson, not exactly an unknown entity, has made even more of a name for himself in the 2016 NBA Playoffs. Without his heroic 41-point performance to save his Golden State Warriors from elimination against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals, his team would not now be on the brink of a second-straight title.
It should come as no surprise, then, that the seemingly perma-chill Thompson has some chips on his shoulder. You don’t drop fire like that without having some fire inside of you. A recent profile by ESPN’s Zach Lowe confirmed as much, with Klay having some choice thoughts about the Cleveland Cavaliers, currently the Warriors’ whipping boys in the Finals, passing him up in the 2011 draft.
According to Lowe, a refrain of Klay’s within the Warriors’ organization is that Cleveland took “the wrong Thompson” by drafting big man Tristan Thompson at No. 4 ahead of him; Klay went at No. 11.
Given the way both players’ careers have unfolded, it’s hard to disagree.
Tristan, while athletic and useful, is not the annual All-Star that Klay is, and he has not been the very best player in these playoffs. Klay, meanwhile, has been, and if he were to say much more boastful things about himself, that would be just okay.
