Klay Thompson Already Proving Why He's Worth New Max Contract Extension
Back in May, 2013, Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson told the Dan Patrick Show (via LakersNation's Daniel Buerge) that his "welcome to the NBA moment" was facing Kobe Bryant for the first time at the Staples Center.
"Just guarding Kobe was a crazy experience," he said at the time. "The moves he had, the calls he was going to get. I can see from the stands—man this guy gets a lot of calls, but I can see he deserves them. He's a Hall of Famer. But you know, guarding him is a tough thing to do."
Fast-forward to Saturday night's 127-104 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, and the tables have officially been turned.
Thompson scored a career-high 41 points with a dazzling 14-of-18 performance from the field that included five buckets from downtown. And he did it fresh off signing a lucrative four-year maximum extension "projected to be in the $70 million range," according to sources cited by ESPN.com's Marc Stein.
As Bleacher Report's Sean Highkin put it for NBCSports.com, "Whether Thompson is worth the money or not (and he probably is), that's the market for wings who play both sides of the ball."
It's the kind of money you spend on a game-changer capable of overshadowing an iconic scorer like Bryant, who scored 19 of his team-high 28 points in a transcendent third quarter.
Prior to the game, Thompson said on air that his strategy for guarding Bryant was, "Put your hands up and pray."
He seemed to do more than that on an evening that showcased his two-way ability against one of the game's all-time greats. The 24-year-old kept up with Bryant and forced him into a 12-of-28 outing from the field.
"Saw tonight what he can do on both ends of the floor," star teammate Stephen Curry said on Comcast SportsNet Bay Area after the game. "He's so talented, and he works hard too. We're in good hands in our backcourt."
Curry added 31 points, 10 assists, five rebounds and three steals to the winning effort in only the latest example of these two co-stars sharing the spotlight.
But coming off a career-best third season in which he averaged 18.4 points per contest, Thompson's continued emergence makes one wonder just how far these Warriors can go under new head coach Steve Kerr. That $70 million extension shows just how confident the franchise is in his future.
Even Bryant sees the writing on the wall, telling reporters after a recent preseason meeting that, "[Thompson] has the whole package."
It's high praise coming from Kobe, a legend who just might have inspired the Washington State product to bring his best game on Saturday.
"It's almost like a dream come true when I'm playing against him," Thompson told reporters of Bryant in October. "Kobe's still one of the best in the game, so you're always trying to measure yourself against the greats."
Thompson is increasingly measuring up pretty well.
For a minute there, it sounded like the organization just might trade him to the Minnesota Timberwolves given the availability of disaffected superstar Kevin Love. It was a subplot that complicated Kerr's first weeks with the club, threatening to tear apart a promising young core coming off a 51-win season.
Ultimately, general manager Bob Myers refused to include Thompson in a deal for Love, and the Warriors turned their attention to keeping him around for the foreseeable future.
Fortunately, the talks didn't scar Thompson's relationship with the team.
"I wasn't really pissed," Thompson told USA Today's Sam Amick in September. "I was more just worried about being traded, just because I'm so comfortable in the Bay. I think that's natural for anybody...I mean it wouldn't have been the end of the world, but it's a business, and I'm still playing ball for a living.
"I was more happy when they showed faith in me that they didn't want to budge and trade me for a guy [in Love] who's a multiple all-NBA guy and a proven All-Star. I thought that was really cool that the Warriors believed in my potential."
They always have.
"We love Klay," owner Joe Lacob told Amick in September. "He is clearly an integral part of our team and our future. I remember sitting courtside at Stanford Pac-12 games watching Klay at [Washington State] for three years.
"I thought he could be a prototype big shooting guard in the NBA and we targeted him in the draft and were ecstatic to be able to draft him at [No.] 11 in the first round."
Lacob and co. are undoubtedly even more ecstatic about the player Thompson has become ever since.
By now, there's no doubting Thompson's explosive potential. The remaining questions have more to do with his aggressiveness and consistency, his ability to share in carrying the scoring load while still contributing in other ways.
Initially billed as a polished spot-up shooter, Thompson has instead a proven a well-rounded and legitimate star. That's translated into a substantial raise over the $3,075,880 he'll make this season—and the expectations that come with it.
So far, Thompson is surpassing those expectations.
His father Mychal—a former player who now does Lakers radio—saw the latest proof firsthand. Klay said on CSN Bay Area that his dad talked to him after the game, saying, "It was a great game tonight. Just try to follow it up with the same tomorrow night."
It's the life of a max-player.
No time to celebrate career highs. Just a mandate to go out and set new ones.
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