Here's Why Klay Thompson Should Have Made the NBA'S All-Decade Team

There were 2:22 left in the third quarter of a back and forth Game 6 in the NBA Finals. The Warriors were down 3-2 against Kawhi Leanord and the Toronto Raptors. Klay Thompson led the Warriors’ charge with 28 points on just 12 shot attempts. Then tragedy struck, Thompson landed awkwardly after being fouled by Toronto’s Danny Green on a dunk attempt. Thompson, not knowing at the time, had torn his ACL. He was ruled out for the rest of the game, and the Warriors went onto to lose.

While anything could’ve happened, the basketball world has come to the consensus that if Klay Thompson doesn’t tear his ACL, the Warriors would’ve pushed for a game seven where they most likely would’ve pulled things out—winning their fourth NBA Championship in 5 years.

While Thompson was leading the Warriors in scoring during that particular do or die game, he has had numerous series altering performances that led the Warriors past formidable opponents throughout their five-year run.

In 2016 he outplayed Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, and, in some analysts eyes, his teammate the unanimous MVP Stephen Curry. This was the Western Conference Finals Game 6, where the Warriors were, once again, down 3-2. Thompson pulled out 41 points, draining 11 3-pointers, keeping the Warriors’ season alive.

Thompson has also outplayed the likes of Chris Paul, Mike Conley, and Damien Lillard in the Warriors’ five-year run-- often playing a pivotal role in shutting opposing point guards down defensively and hitting daggers in the crunch.

When one player can alter series, practically NBA history, you have to assume that that player has immense value to that team and the history of the league. Legends aren’t made in the regular season. Game highs can make it onto an “On This Day” clip on ESPN’s The Jump, but the real historical moments come in the playoffs. Thompson has engraved his name in playoff history every year since 2015… half of this decade.

With that said, somehow Thompson’s historical value seems to be dismissed by NBA producers and analysts. Recently an All-Decade Team was composed by NBA.com, with the players being chosen by NBA TV producers and analysts.

Similar to the All-NBA Team, the All-Decade Team is composed of 15 players one from each “position.” The first team included: Stephen Curry, James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, Lebron James, and Kevin Durant. The second team has: Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, Anthony Davis, Blake Griffin, and Carmelo Anthony. The third team is: Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Paul George, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Every person on the “team” has an argument for why they should be there, but Klay Thompson has a stronger case than some.

For starters, Thompson’s contributions to the basketball world during the 2010s are more significant than Kobe Bryant’s-- for that particular era. Bryant is an all-time great, winning five championships, an NBA record 15 selections for All-NBA teams and 12 All-Defensive teams. He also led the league in scoring twice, won the Slam Dunk challenge and got 4 All-Star Game MVPs in 14 appearances. The bulk of his historical resume took place before the 2010’s decade.

That decade started the 2010-2011 season. While Bryant and the Lakers were coming off of an NBA Championship, Lebron James and the Heat were the hot team that year. And even more important, Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks won the NBA Championship that year-- sweeping Bryant and the Lakers.

Bryant’s numbers went down season by season, as father time caught him by the lasso. Bryant played 66% of each season after 2010, shooting 41% from the field, 28% from three, averaging 22 ppg. The Lakers last playoff appearance was 2013, and they lost in the first round.

Kobe Bryant had some games were he looked like the Micheal Jordan clone that enabled kids to yell, “Kobe,” on blacktops. But then there were many games where he looked like a shell of himself-- angering many Laker loyalists due to his massive contract.

Thompson played in more games, suiting up 94% of the time; shot the ball at a higher clip, shooting 57% from the field; and won three championships during the decade, while appearing in five.

Along with Bryant, Dwyane Wade also didn’t have a consistent decade. Wade was a part of the ‘super team’ experiment that sparked teams all over the league to pair superstars, but toward the end of the Miami Heat reign in 2013, Wade’s health declined. While he played 88% of games during the season, he had to load manage often to try to preserve himself for the playoffs. Once Lebron James left for Cleveland, Wade’s production went down significantly. He started 69% of regular-season games, averaging 17 ppg on 46% shooting from the field and 27% shooting from three. While these numbers aren’t underwhelming, they don’t scream top 15 player of an entire ten-year timeframe.

Thompson averaged 20 ppg over the decade shooting 57% from the field, 41% from the three and 57% inside the arc. Thompson shot the ball better than Wade from inside the arc and out while defending the opposing team’s best ball handler-- which in today’s game is often the best player.

Giannis Antetokounmpo has had a great three-year run but has only had a three-year run. His career numbers speak for his production during the decade, and while his numbers are solid, they aren’t the same as his numbers from 2017-19. During the decade Antetokounmpo averaged 18ppg, shooting 52% from the field, appearing in the playoffs five teams.

Similarly, Chris Paul’s output is questionable. While he was regarded as the top player at his position by some, others believed that Deron Williams to be the top point guard up until the 2013-14 season. The following season, Stephen Curry took the reigns, without any room to speculate-- leaving Paul with only one year of being the undisputed top point guard. Without the rationale of being the best at his position for half of the decade, Paul’s numbers do not outweigh Thompson’s by much; furthermore, his playoff performances are outmatched by Thompson. Paul averaged 18ppg on 46% field goal shooting and 37% 3-point shooting. Thompson averaged more points throughout the decade while defending at a high level, and shooting at a higher clip.

This isn’t the first time Thompson has been snubbed from accolades. This past season he was left off of the All-NBA Team and has only been selected for the NBA All-Defensive Team once-- even though he has been the cause of many uncharacteristic games from top guards around the league for about six years.

Even though Thompson doesn’t have to carry the load, he still has one of, if not the hardest job of any Warrior. He is expected to score and shut down the other team’s best guard. Most superstars do not have that burden. Even the great two-way players like Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Russell Westbrook do not defend the other team’s best players from start to finish. In the Finals, Fred Vanvleet guarded Stephen Curry and Danny Green defended Klay. Terrance Ferguson had the task of stopping Damien Lillard until the fourth quarter. These stars have role players who only job is to defend. If they score than it’s a bonus. For Thompson, though, it’s an expectation. That is what separates him from other stars who may carry a “heavier” load.

In the 90s Scottie Pippen was regarded as one of the best players of that decade. He played alongside Micheal Jordan, appearing and winning the majority of that decade’s Finals. Pippen’s numbers weren’t overwhelming; he averaged 17ppg off of 47% shooting from the field and 32% 3-point shooting. But Pippen was apart of history. He may not have had to worry about carrying the offensive load that players like Clyde Drexler did, but he was a fundamental asset to one of the greatest runs the NBA had ever seen. That is undeniable.

In the same sense, Klay Thompson is a fundamental asset to the five-year dynastic run the Warriors are on. Just like Pippen, in twenty years basketball fans will recall the greatness of the Warriors attributing Curry and Thompson, the same way fans attribute Jordan and Pippen. That too is undeniable.

Thompson’s work may go unnoticed by journalist and analyst, but his place in NBA history is cemented. He is already regarded as an all-time great shooter-- breaking record after record-- but his Game 6 performances that have sparked the nickname “Game 6 Klay” will go down as all-time great performances. Thompson, along with Curry, changed the game of basketball with their shooting, creating a three-point revolution. That is something that neither Bryant, Wade, Paul, or Antetokounmpo can say-- at least for this decade.

Unfortunately for Thompson, the likelihood of him receiving his deserved notoriety this upcoming season is slim, as he will have to recover from his ACL tear. But in time, hopefully, the basketball world will see that Thompson is a generational talent and will appreciate him as such.