Thompson guarantees he’ll get back to being All-NBA player he was

Warriors guard Klay Thompson expects to return to the court early next season, and to play at a high level for years to come.

Thompson, who is out for the season with a torn Achilles, doesn’t anticipate playing major minutes right away but is committed to getting back to being one of the best twoway guards in the league.

“I’ll be honest, I don’t expect to come back and be balls to the wall, 38 minutes a night, guarding the best player, running around 100 screens,” Thompson said. “I’m going to get to that point. I guarantee that.

“I’m just trying to take it day by day, but I plan on being the All-NBA player I was. I will not settle for anything less.

I’m too competitive to just take a relegated role. No, that’s not me.”

Nearly four months since tearing his Achilles during a workout in Los Angeles, Thompson is out of his walking boot and working on his ankle mobility. Though he can’t yet run on land, he’s been using an underwater treadmill and swimming to keep up his cardiovascular fitness. He recently swam in the San Francisco Bay.

“It was life changing! It was amazing!” Thompson said. “I’m going to incorporate that into my routine now. (Former Spurs forward) Tim Duncan swam his whole career and he played for 21 years. So, these last few years have allowed me to look at things and reevaluate how I train and how I diet.”

Thompson appeared optimistic during his first question-and-answer session since his injury, but he admitted he struggled in the early stages of his rehabilitation, his second after missing all of the 2019-20 season with a torn ACL he suffered in the 2019 Finals. He said the injury happened when performing a routine turnaround jumper, and that he knew immediately the severity of the injury.

“When it happened, in my mind I knew what happened, but I wasn’t even that emotional because my heart wouldn’t accept it at the time,” Thompson said. “Mentally, it was really hard at first.”

The Achilles tear capped off what was a tough year for Thompson. Of course, there was the world-altering pandemic, but Thompson was also deeply affected by the Black Lives Matter movement of the summer, Kobe and Gianna Bryant’s death, as well as the passing of his grandmother.

“Probably the worst year of my life,” he said.

Thompson, a five-time All-Star and one of the most proficient 3-point shooters in NBA history, has found inspiration in players who have bounced back from similar injuries.

Brooklyn’s Kevin Durant returned this season from an Achilles injury he suffered while playing for the Warriors in the 2019 Finals, and other players such as Houston’s John Wall and Los Angeles’ Wes Matthews have managed careers after Achilles tears.

Soon after his injury, Thompson reached out to Grant Hill, who had a Hall of Fame career after suffering severe ankle injuries early in his career, for guidance. Hill played until he was 40, and Thompson feels like he can have similar longevity.

“With my style of play,” Thompson said, “I feel like I can be effective into my late 30s.”

As he watches this season from the sideline, Thompson believes the Warriors are better than their current 19-19 record and will make the playoffs. He’s been impressed with rookie center James Wiseman, who Golden State drafted the day Thompson got hurt.

“I think James is going to be a perennial All-Star one day,” Thompson said. “He doesn’t know how good he is yet — I mean, who does when they’re 19 years old? But he has physical abilities and talent that you just can’t teach. So James is going to hopefully extend this dynastic run for years to come because he has that much ability.”

If Wiseman takes that sort of leap and Thompson, 31, can return to his status prior to missing two straight seasons, Golden State could once again ascend to the top of the Western Conference.

“I anticipate us being right back in contention for a championship again,” Thompson said.