RON KROICHICK To shoot better, must take better shots
Christmas arrives next week, which means the NBA season is approaching its midpoint. The Warriors already have played 32 games. They’re in the thick of their long grind toward the playoffs.
So maybe we should stop saying Klay Thompson is merely in a shooting slump. Maybe it’s time to suggest he’s not taking especially good shots this season, a byproduct of his team’s strangely stagnant offense.
Thompson is a terrific outside shooter, obviously. The Warriors do not win three NBA championships in four seasons without his textbook jumper. But he thrives on moving without the ball, popping off a screen, taking a crisp pass and rising into the air for an open shot.
The Warriors are not making those passes as often as they have in recent seasons, as our Connor Letourneau detailed after Wednesday night’s 108-103 loss to Utah. This leaves Thompson without great looks and instead launching contested threepointers. Or long, closely guarded two-pointers.
He doesn’t drive to the basket, or create his own shot, as effectively as Stephen Curry or Kevin Durant. Too often, Thompson settles for forced jumpers — and it shows in his numbers.
He’s shooting 44.7 percent from the field, after posting a career-best 48.8 percent last season. Most notably, he’s shooting 34.4 percent on three-pointers (on pace to become the worst of his career) after posting a careerbest 44 percent last season.
“I think we’re taking decent shots, not great shots,” head coach Steve Kerr said after Wednesday night’s game, responding to a question about the struggles of Thompson and Draymond Green. “If you’re not getting great shots, you’re not going to shoot a high percentage.”
During several Warriors games this season, it has been easy to think Thompson shoots too much. He catches the ball and quickly fires away, sometimes at awkward angles. That’s unlike him.
He’s averaging a careerhigh 19.3 shots per game; he took 16.2 per game last season, more in line with his career average (15.9).
This year’s numbers are skewed by Curry’s absence for 11 games because of a groin injury. Thompson, trying to fill the void, hoisted 22.5 shots per game while Curry was sidelined. That number drops to 17.6 with Curry.
So the issue really isn’t Thompson shooting too much. This is about quality, not quantity.