Klay Thompson Increasing Self-Creation in Return
When people think of Klay Thompson, a few words come to mind: Explosive, lockdown, shooter, off-ball would probably be the top four. Thompson has a reputation as someone who can score at all three levels, but he’s never really been considered an off-the-dribble scorer who can get his own looks. Of course, it’s easy to push that narrative when you’ve played with two of the best on-ball scorers to ever play in the league.
Of his 14 shots a game this season (impressive volume for someone playing 20 minutes a game), just over 5 of them are pull-ups. This doesn’t seem like a lion’s share, of course, but when you compare his percentage of off-the-dribble shots relative to his overall volume, he’s taking them more often. In the last season he played fully, he took 18 shots a game but similarly, 5 of them were pull-ups. While this may even out with time, the ratio of shots off the dribble was lower.
Thompson himself knows he’s capable of handling more on-ball responsibility. After a win earlier this month, Klay had some jokes about it during media availability:
“Steve [Kerr] was just holding me back, man. He didn’t let me handle the ball. The last time I handled the ball that much was in college, but in high school, I played the point a lot” Thompson said post-game per KNBR 680.
If you look at his pull-up stats, his shooting percentages on pull-ups are better than his overall shot percentages. On the season, he’s shooting 37% from the field and 30% from three. These are anomalies as he starts to wind up in his minutes, but on pull-ups, he shoots 41.9% total and a scorching 41.7% beyond the arc. His shooting off-the-dribble, this season, is somehow better than his Splash Brother, Steph Curry despite much lower volume
This obviously isn’t sustainable, and should level out as Curry gets out of his slump. Klay, however, could actually keep this up. Him turning into a more complete 3-level scorer would weaponize him into a greater threat (somehow). Thompson’s off-ball value is still probably his best asset, as the offense should be either running through Steph or Draymond Green, but when things don’t always go right, it’s never bad to have another bail-out guy alongside Steph, Wiggins, or even Jordan Poole as time goes on.
In anticipation of Thompson’s come-back, we covered that he was 70% from the restricted area, 45% from the mid-range, and 40% from three in his last full season of play. If you look at the eye test, you can see a lot of these were off high-IQ cuts and dives when the defense got caught lacking. Something Thompson’s become famous for, however, is the pumpfake into a one-dribble sidestep:
Aside from the transition catch-and-shoot threes and the post-turnaround jumpers (which he’s also been shooting more of recently, it should be noted), this one-dribble shot off the pump fake is probably Klay’s most recognizable shot. It seems like every time he shoots one, it usually goes in. He’s one of the best in-transition shooters in the game, and one of the best shooters the game has ever seen period.
Once Klay’s averages return to normal, it should be a lot easier for him to integrate into the Warriors offense. It may also help for him to get some more minutes so he doesn’t have to put up as many shots as he is to try and get his touches in during his short spurts. If we’re being honest, Klay is probably taking over like Steph should in his limited minutes.
The increase in self-creation is still a good thing to see, however, as it turns him into a more versatile player. It remains to be seen whether he can keep up with his current volume, but if he does, the Warriors will look even more dangerous in the playoffs than they do right now.
(Photo credit: Jonathan Daniel / Getty Images)