Jordan Crawford has reached out to Klay Thompson to give him advice on his new role on the Golden State Warriors bench. During a recent appearance on “The Draymond Green Show,” the one-time Warriors guard shared some of the advice he gave to the former All-Star sharpshooter.
Crawford’s comments come as Thompson is preparing for his second game off the bench. His first outing in his new role saw him drop 35 points against the Utah Jazz on Feb. 14. Crawford also noted Thompson is still averaging 17 points per game on one of the better teams in the league.
“I’m like he still averages 17 points,” Crawford said. “I said the fight is with himself because he’s been so legendary for so long. Seventeen points on a great team is great. … But with him, I’ll tell him embrace it. It can give him a whole different wind. We don’t see legendary players like that, Manu (Ginóbili) we talked about, but legendary, legendary guys like that who have had four-time champions averaging 17, coming off the bench. Now you’re seeing second unit guys, now you’re the focal point of the offense. It gets you in a rhythm. Forget the off the bench or starting, you’re going to have better numbers doing this than you would as you’re doing it right now.”
As the Warriors’ veteran core continues to age, we’re likely going to see them adapt the roles they play for the franchise. Due to his injury history, it would appear Thompson is first in line to make those changes.
Thompson could emerge as a key veteran bench player over the coming years. The most difficult part for him will likely be accepting his new role and understanding it’s designed to provide longevity on the tail end of his career.
We will get another look at how he performs with the second unit when the Warriors face the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday.
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