Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson reached a personal milestone when he played in his first back-to-back this week since 2019. 

The five-time All Star put up 27 points and 5 assists in a 135-126 victory over the Washington Wizards on Feb. 13. 24 hours later, Thompson had 18 points and cashed in 4 three-pointers versus the Los Angeles Clippers. 

“Huge milestone,” Thompson said. “Even more fun to do in front of my family. I spent so many great moments in that building with my dad and my brothers and mother. I’m just excited to get down there and play in front of them. It’s really a dream.”

And it’s been quite the journey for Thompson’s recovery. 

Thompson’s return from back-to-back career ending injuries is what helped the Warriors in their championship run last season. In the 32 games he played, Thompson still averaged 20.4 points and shot 38.5% from 3-point range. 

In the offseason, Thompson spent most of the summer relaxing and celebrating the journey that got him his fourth championship. 

Of course everyone’s a critic, and ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith had some words for Thompson’s decision to not train in the offseason after his rough start to the 2022-23 campaign. 

“I’m going to tell you what I think the problem is,” Smith said. “I think there’s been a mistake in his offseason regimen. When he talked about barely touching a basketball and just barely working out and trying to get himself healthy, I think that was a mistake.” 

Smith is known for his boisterous attitude and there’s no doubt his entertainment value is what drives ESPN’s viewership. However, given the fact that Thompson’s Achilles injury was stemmed from an offseason pickup game, it’s no surprise that Thompson took a cautionary approach during the offseason. 

Thompson said there was a mental block when training over the summer, according to NBC Sports Bay Area. 

“I didn’t play a lot this summer. It was hard to,” Thompson said. “Especially what I went through the last summer — I was healthy, popping my Achilles. It was really hard for me to get out there. Just mentally it was hard.” 

It was understandable that Thompson took this approach to the offseason after what he experienced. Because of Thompson’s injuries, the Warriors did not allow Thompson the chance to play in back-to-backs in the early parts of the season. 

Until February 14th. 

That was the day Thompson suited up against the Clippers. This was the final step in Thompson’s road to recovery — to see if his body can still handle the grueling back-to-backs in the NBA. And now, with Thompson cleared to play back-to-backs, there’s no stopping the Splash Brother from returning to his old self.

(Photo credit: Michael Wyke / Associated Press)