Last season Stephen Curry only suited up for five games during the Golden State Warriors 2019-20 season due to a broken left hand. Although the two-time Most Valuable Player is slated to make his long-awaited return to Chase Center at the start of the 2020-21 season, it will be without his fellow Splash Brother.
Last week, the Golden State Warriors announced Klay Thompson has suffered a season-ending Achilles tear during a preseason workout in Southern California.
After tearing his ACL in the third quarter of game six of the 2019 NBA Finals, Thompson will miss his second consecutive season with a significant leg injury.
Following Thompson’s injury, Curry spoke about his backcourt mate’s injury in an interview with Marc J. Spears of ESPN. The six-time All-Star called Thompson’s injury “a gut punch.”
Via The Undefeated:
“He’s the best 2-guard in the league,” Curry said. “To get that call was a gut punch for sure. A lot of tears. You don’t really know what to say because a guy like that is having to go through two pretty serious rehabs now. But at the end of the day, we have to have his back. We hope that he is around and a part of what we do through his rehab and staying connected with us.
He can come back strong. He’s a guy that loves the game so much. He is going to do whatever it takes to get back out there on the floor and be himself. That’s what we hope and the confidence that we have. Two-and-a-half years of rehab is tough for anybody. We’re hoping for the best.”
Since sharing a backcourt in 2011, Curry and Thompson have blossomed into one of the league’s most feared tandems. Along with winning three championships with Curry, the Washington State product earned five All-Star bids, two All-NBA Third Team honors and an NBA All-Defensive Second Team nod.
In 2018-19, Thompson averaged 21.5 points on 45.7% shooting from the field with 3.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.1 steals per contest. During every season of his eight-year career, Thompson has averaged over 40.1 shooting from beyond the arc.
Without Thompson, Golden State will lean on newly acquired players like Kelly Oubre Jr., Brad Wanamaker and Kent Bazemore.
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