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Warriors News: Klay Thompson, James Wiseman Recalled from G League amid Injury Rehab
December 16, 2021
The Golden State Warriors have recalled Klay Thompson and James Wiseman from their G League affiliate Santa Cruz Warriors, the team announced Wednesday.
The news is the latest step in both players' return to the court, though a return date hasn't been set for either player.
"We haven't even decided internally when it'll be," Warriors general manager Bob Myers said Tuesday on 95.7 The Game's Morning Roast (h/t Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports) regarding Thompson's return. "But the good news is there's a light. If you're in this tunnel, it's been a long tunnel for Klay to see this light. The closer we get—I want to see him play so bad. As it gets closer, I kind of get more patient. This is me personally, because I know it's coming."
Thompson has missed the past two seasons with a torn ACL and torn Achilles, while Wiseman has yet to play this campaign as he recovers from a meniscus tear last April.
The Warriors have been excellent without the two players, going an NBA-best 23-5, but Myers knows the return of Thompson will make a difference:
"I've seen him scrimmage, looks really good. I've seen him build endurance. I've seen him from two weeks ago or three weeks ago to a few days ago and I see him getting better, getting stronger and I see the purpose of all this. When he gets back, we need that.
"We talk about the emotion and feel-good part of Klay coming back, but if you want to talk about our team and what he means to our team, you see us in these kind of lulls -- we hope Klay Thompson can fill some of that void. That's what he's always done for this team."
The question surrounding the 31-year-old Thompson is if he will return anywhere close to the form he showed in his prime, when he was a five-time All-Star, three-time champion and arguably the second-best shooter in the NBA behind only his teammate, Stephen Curry.
Thompson has shot an impressive 41.9 percent from beyond the arc for his career and averages 19.5 points per game, but his excellent perimeter defense also made him the NBA's best three-and-D player when healthy.
Granted, nobody would be surprised if it took Thompson some time to work through the rust after being away from the NBA for so long. But a healthy and productive Thompson makes the Warriors a true title threat yet again.
Wiseman, 20, should help in that regard as well, though he had a spotty rookie season, averaging 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds in 21.4 minutes per game in 39 contests. While Thompson's potential impact and upside is clear, it's less certain how much development will be seen from Wiseman in year two.
Regardless, he'll provide more depth for the team's frontcourt, if nothing else.