THOMPSON WELCOMES DURANT
Warriors guard happy to team with All-Star, prepared to sacrifice to win
It was one thing when Klay Thompson swore he was happy just hooping in Stephen Curry’s shadow two years ago.
Inside a Westin conference room in Madrid in the midst of a FIBA World Cup experience that would elevate his profile that has kept skyrocketing since, the then-24-year-old Golden State Warriors shooting guard explained how sacrifice comes easy when nothing matters more to you than winning and fun. But this is different. This is a Warriors team that, having landed Kevin Durant via free agency this summer, now has four All- Stars (including two MVPs) and still one ball. And this is a player in Thompson who — two All- Star appearances, one FIBA gold medal and one NBA title later — is coming off a season in which he posted career highs in scoring (22.2 points per game), field goal attempts (17.3) and three-point attempts (8.1).
Translation: If anyone has more to lose individually by Durant’s arrival, it’s the guy who once scored 37 points in a quarter and whose 41-point barrage in Game 6 of the latest Western Conference finals against Durant’s Oklahoma City Thunder was one of the best playoff performances of all time.
So it seemed fair to ask, did Thompson truly want Durant to come their way?
“I think (going after Durant was) a no-brainer, man, just because it’s a once-in-a-generation kind of talent,” Thompson told USA TODAY Sports recently. “It’s history. There have never been two MVPs … under 30 on the same team, so it was a no-brainer just because he’s such a great talent and he’d be such a pleasure to play with. Where we were at (last season), it’s hard to imagine going to that level (again). But he’s the type of guy who could take us there.”
After their historic 73-win regular season was followed by the failed title defense against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Warriors have been enjoying an early training camp of sorts the last two weeks. Thompson, Draymond Green and Durant are part of the Team USA squad that trained in Las Vegas before starting a fivegame exhibition tour that has them on the Warriors home floor Tuesday. The Americans will play China at Oracle Arena, and it’s a safe bet the locals will show him plenty of love as part of the newlook Warriors are on display.
Yet as Durant has acknowledged, this union never would have happened if any of the incumbent Warriors had been reluctant to make him feel welcome. But in that Hamptons free agency meeting — where Curry, Thompson, Green and Andre Iguodala sat across from Durant while getting interrogated by his agent and later went for a players-only walk outside the rented mansion — their ability to convince Durant that they truly wanted him on board was as big a factor as any. And Thompson, who was grilled by Rich Kleiman of Roc Nation Sports, more than the rest sent the kind of genuine message that resonated.
“(Kleiman said) ‘You’re a potential top-10 player’ and just (asked) how the chemistry would be with Kevin,” Thompson recalled. “I don’t remember (his) exact words, but just how the chemistry would be with Kevin coming along and if I was willing to sacrifice touches or exposure or all that. I thought my presence there just showed him. Obviously, him hearing it coming from my mouth helped a lot.
“I thought (Kleiman) was a lawyer. I was like, ‘ Man, he’s the ultimate devil’s advocate right now, and you’ve got to respect it.’ It was really cool.”
Thompson hadn’t started seriously pondering the notion of Durant wearing a Warriors jersey until just days before they arrived in the Hamptons. And as had been the case, Thompson made it clear his we-over-me perspective was as strong now as ever. Even if it meant he would share that spotlight more than ever.
“I think I showed how much I’m willing to make a sacrifice by just going to see Kevin and trying to pitch to him how badly we (wanted) him,” Thompson said. “That right there should speak volumes.”
And once Durant was convinced that they were all willing to sacrifice, he was in.
“I just want to be efficient with what I do (next season), whether it’s averaging 10 points, 15 points, 20 points,” Thompson said. “I just want to go out there and be effective. People have been asking me this question all the time, and I just try to point them to Manu Ginobili’s career.
“The guy, look at the sacrifices he made. He’s been one of the best two-guards in the league for so long, and he’s got the respect of everybody in the NBA because he’s a winner. He’s obviously a multiple All-Star.”
The getting-to-know-you period for Thompson, Durant and the rest of their Warriors super team has officially begun.
“It’s growing still,” Thompson said of the relationship. “I mean, we’re just getting to know each other. I’m still in awe of the guy. I’m still kind of starstruck when I’m around him. You get to know him more.
“He’s such a grounded individual. He just loves basketball. He’s actually a well-rounded person. He likes to talk about everything, whether it’s movies, photography, travel. He’s easy to talk to, and it’s great to have a teammate like that.”