Klay Thompson Says He's 'Ahead of Schedule' in Return from ACL, Achilles Injuries

Klay Thompson was starting to look like his former self before the All-Star break but still isn't ready to declare himself all the way back. 

"I want to put together a string of games," Thompson told Anthony Slater of The Athletic. "I want to be back to playing at an elite level when I was making All-NBA teams. I know that's going to come. I'm ahead of schedule from where I thought I'd be. I'm very competitive. I want to shoot at a high percentage. I want to be as efficient as I was."

Thompson made his return to the lineup Jan. 9 after missing 30 months of action because of injuries. He suffered a torn ACL in the 2019 NBA Finals, causing him to miss the entire 2019-20 season, before rupturing his Achilles during his ramp-up of activity to prepare for the 2020-21 campaign.

While there was clear rust when Thompson returned to the lineup, he was starting to find a rhythm before the break. After shooting a dismal 37.2 percent from the field and 30.2 percent from three over his first six games, Thompson is up to 44.4 percent from the field and 41.3 percent from three over his last 10—essentially in line with his career numbers.

Defensively Thompson is nowhere near his All-Defense level from 2019, but that's to be expected after two-and-a-half years off. That should improve as Thompson gets his in-game instincts back, even if it's unlikely he'll ever reach the same caliber as before.

"I think I'm at like 80 percent," Thompson said. "Still have a long way to go. But 80 percent me is still great on that side of the ball. I can use my strength to body guys, my size to body smaller guards. Be solid against big men. I can still switch. But as far as my lateral quickness, it’s about — from where it was — it's about 80, 85 percent from where it was. I know it'll take time to come back. There will be bumps in the road."

The Warriors (42-17) established themselves as a title threat with Thompson on the mend and have essentially viewed him as their big midseason acquisition. The team will need Draymond Green back from injury, but if Thompson even gets to 90 or 95 percent of his former self, Golden State will be formidable in May (and potentially June).