The three-time NBA champion and sharpshooter Klay Thompson just received his most recent update on his return to action. According to Adrian Wojnarowski, he is now eyeing three games in January and has ruled out a comeback before Christmas. The three games are January 3rd versus Miami, January 9th versus Cleveland, and January 18th versus Detroit.

The matchup against Miami is considered to be the less likely of the three options but is still in the mix. All three games are at home, as the Warriors as a whole have discussed and decided that it would be only right if he came back to the welcoming cheers of Dub Nation. Although some people first thought that he would return at some point before Christmas. But with their matchup against Phoenix on Christmas day nearing, he has seemingly ruled out a return before then. Rightfully so, as he and the team doctors are the only ones who can gage how he is feeling and just how explosive he can be on the court.

But recovery looks to be going well for Klay, as the Warriors PR team tweeted an update on his injury. In it they said that he completed a successful rehab assignment last Wednesday with the Santa Cruz Warriors. Ending with the fact that he is in the final stages of his preparation for returning to play and that his return date will be announced when available. This most likely will be one of the games previously mentioned if all goes well.

What some fans did not take into account is the fact that Covid-19 cases are on the rise in the world, as well as in the NBA. Wojnarowski gave another update saying, “So far, 63 NBA players have entered into Covid protocols this season, including 47 in December alone.” And as of today, five NBA games have been postponed due to lack of players or an increase in cases. Currently the Warriors have Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins in the NBA’s health and safety protocols, the latter name being announced Sunday afternoon. The Dubs have been relatively lucky when it comes to guys missing games because of Covid, however, the recent news on Wiggins leads me to believe Golden State’s luck in the matter may be quickly coming to a close.

If the league decides to shut down temporarily then we could see another delay to Thompson’s return. The consensus seems to be that the NBA wants to at least get to play the Christmas games, but nothing has been said as of yet about completely stopping play to reduce the cases. They did however, agree to new Covid rules about testing as well as agreeing to ramp up the number of tests to keep everyone safe. This is projected to start December 26th so right after the primetime holiday matchups.

This stop in play could be good for Klay, as he would get a little extra time to try to get back into game shape. Or it could be another barrier for him, as he is itching to get back on the court and would hate to wait longer than he has to. The last time the NBA postponed the season it took several months for them to get back regularly scheduled play. So, let’s hope it isn’t as long of a wait unless necessary, as the NBA isn’t the only league that is struggling with the new spike in Covid cases. Collectively, the professional leagues like the NBA, NFL, and others are trying to come up with a plan to keep games playable but only if the players in them are safe and ready to go.

If they can somehow do that then guys like Klay and Kyrie who have been waiting to play for a while may be able to play next month. Maybe it is just bad luck on the Warriors part as Klay’s return could be pushed back even further due to the rising concern. But as for now, we have three dates to look forward to and a Warrior’s team that has caught its groove before getting everyone, including Klay back to action.

(Photo credit: Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)