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Warriors Media Day 2021: Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Top Interviews, Videos
September 28, 2021
The Golden State Warriors, ultimately, had a disappointing 2020-21 season. Klay Thompson missed his second successive year due to injury, rookie James Wiseman was outclassed by other lottery picks like LaMelo Ball and Anthony Edwards, and Steph Curry's incredible season wasn't enough to earn the team a playoff berth.
That led to an offseason of speculation that the team might try to make a splashy trade to get another star for the core of Curry, Thompson and Draymond Green, and make one last push for a title.
But the deal didn't come, and now the Warriors head into this season with a blend of former champions and young, mostly unproven talents like Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody.
Such was the backdrop for Monday's media day. But the major question on everyone's mind was when Thompson might be able to play again:
Anthony Slater @anthonyVslaterBob Myers said Klay Thompson can do a lot in camp, "just not contact, no 5-on-5." Said there will be a point -- "maybe January" -- where Klay will know he's ready. But it'll be a patient ramp up and a whole lot of scrimmaging, even high-intensity G-League practices before.
"It's going to be beautiful," Curry told reporters when asked about how he feels about being reunited with Thompson on the court soon.
It's a sentiment shared by Dubs fans. Oh, and if you were wondering how Thompson's jumper looks these days, well, fear not—the stroke is still pure:
Thompson isn't the only player working his way back to 100 percent, as Wiseman saw his rookie season cut short due to a meniscus injury:
Another huge storyline surrounding the Warriors heading into the season is the status of Andrew Wiggins, who remains unvaccinated. Under current San Francisco law, he will not be permitted to practice with the team in the city or play in any games, as events with 1,000 or more people can only be attended by vaccinated individuals.
Wiggins commented on the situation:
"It's difficult," Curry told reporters regarding Wiggins' situation. "... At the end of the day, it's up to him. At the end of the day, we hope he has the right information and access to all of the right resources. We hope he's available."
Wiggins is facing the possibility of missing every Warriors home game, or half of the team's season, as the NBA already rejected his request for exemption on religious grounds. This situation has the potential to be a huge deal for the Warriors, especially since Thompson likely won't be back until sometime this winter.
As for the players that Steve Kerr will have at his disposal, he told reporters he wants to rework the team's offensive identity and find the best way to develop Kuminga and Moody:
And Moody is just really excited to be playing with Curry.
"I used to use Steph in [NBA2K]," he told reporters. "He doesn't miss in 2K at all. ... It's crazy to think that I'm on the same team as Steph."
Finally, while Draymond Green was not present at media day—he had an excused absence—the aforementioned Curry was present and debuted his new kicks:
B/R Kicks @brkicksFirst look at the ninth signature shoe for <a href="https://twitter.com/StephenCurry30?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@StephenCurry30</a> at NBA media day 🍪 <a href="https://twitter.com/warriors?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@warriors</a> <a href="https://t.co/IwGrIN5EgP">pic.twitter.com/IwGrIN5EgP</a>
Golden State Warriors @warriors“Really excited about the future. We’re gonna take care of business this year.”<a href="https://twitter.com/StephenCurry30?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@StephenCurry30</a> || <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GSWMediaDay?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GSWMediaDay</a> <a href="https://t.co/z2H1i3iMwa">pic.twitter.com/z2H1i3iMwa</a>
"Very excited to be here, starting the new season," Curry said. "Really excited about the future. We're gonna take care of business this year."