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Warriors' Klay Thompson Reportedly Not Expected to Return from Injury Before Dec. 28
December 16, 2021
The Golden State Warriors don't plan on having star Klay Thompson return from injury until Dec. 28 at the earliest, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania and Anthony Slater.
Shams Charania @ShamsCharaniaThe Warriors do not plan for Klay Thompson to debut on either Dec. 20 or Dec. 23 home games, sources tell me and <a href="https://twitter.com/anthonyVslater?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@anthonyVslater</a>. Thompson won't come back on Christmas. So earliest possible return would be Dec. 28 -- with Thompson ramping up conditioning over next couple weeks.
Of note, Golden State recalled Thompson and James Wiseman from the G League on Wednesday.
Thompson's health was a major storyline coming into the 2021-22 campaign after he missed the 2019-20 season with a torn ACL and the 2020-21 season with an Achilles injury.
The 31-year-old was the biggest question mark for the Warriors' ability to contend for a championship, especially since a healthy Thompson would make them all the more dangerous. After all, he is one of the best three-point shooters in league history and is a five-time All-Star, three-time NBA champion and two-time All-NBA selection.
Thompson averaged 21.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 40.2 percent from deep during his last healthy season.
Look for Stephen Curry to remain as the focal point of the offense while Thompson remains sidelined. The combination of Jordan Poole, Damion Lee and Gary Payton II will likely see more time as well.
