After a successful trip to Japan the Warriors are slotted to play the Lakers at Chase Center on Sunday. Klay Thompson was held out of both of the games against the Wizards and is doubtful for their first home preseason game. Steve Kerr had this to say about Klay’s availability,

Which makes sense because after two major injuries, rehab, and a longer season ending in a championship, Klay would have less time to rest in comparison to the rest of the league, excluding the Celtics players. So it comes as no surprise as to why the Warriors are being extra careful when it comes to Klay playing in the preseason. Last season it took him thirty-nine games to make his debut and with allowed rest, he should be able to play from the first game and help start this season strong for the Dubs.

Klay did have a strong showing on the court in Japan, but it wasn’t against another team. He and Curry participated in the Duo three-point contest against their young teammates Jordan Poole and Moses Moody. Watch the Splash Bros performance here-

It was safe to say that the duo won heftily as seeing a miss was a rare occurrence between the two. So Klay is healthy and ready to go it seems, but the team and medical staff want him to get some extra rest before another run at a championship.

In his absence, there was more room for his teammates to get some time on the floor. As guys like Poole, Moody, and DiVincenzo got to play together and work on their games respectively. The first few weeks of the season will be the toughest, as Klay gets ramped back up, the new guys find their role on the team, and the young studs in Moody, Wiseman, and Kuminga carve out some time in the rotation.

With that being said, this will be the first time since 2019 that Klay will be able to experience a normal full season but we should expect the Warrior’s staff to remain cautious throughout the year. It won't be as strict as the minutes restriction from when he first came back but expect the first few back to backs of the regular season to include a Thompson DNP because of rest. As the Warriors are more than capable of slotting other guys into the shooting guard position because of their depth.

This year is slated to be a big one for Klay Thompson because on top of being healthy he should be hungry to reclaim another championship at full strength. Staying fully healthy is the key and if Klay doesn’t practice in the Warrior’s scrimmage on Thursday, then most likely we won’t see him play on Sunday versus the Lakers. This should mean that he has a better chance at playing the Dub’s first regular season game against the Lakers on October 18th. This being ring night as he will receive his championship ring alongside his fellow teammates who all are looking to repeat last year’s success.

(Photo credit: Noah Graham/2022 NBAE)