Golden State Warriors: How Klay Thompson Earned a Max Contract
Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson received a contract extension reported to be a four-year deal worth $70 million.
Thompson's play last year, as well as his hot start this season, proved to the Warriors that he was worthy of a max deal.
Not only did Thompson's play prove worthy of this hefty contract, but he was chosen to be retained rather than traded for eventual Cleveland Cavalier Kevin Love.
Warriors general manager Bob Myers had this to say about the contract extension and Thompson in a statement released by the Warriors:
"We're excited to have one of the top young players in the NBA under contract for the next several years. Our ownership group continues to demonstrate the commitment necessary to build a championship-caliber team and we anticipate that Klay Thompson will play a major role in our future success and accomplishments, both on the floor and in the Bay Area community.
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Thompson has been a pure shooter, but he is now proving to be a true scorer and all-around player. He is showing offensive versatility, defensive improvement and the ability to be a star.
Offensive Versatility
According to ESPN Stats & Information, Thompson has made an NBA-record 545 three-pointers in his first three seasons.
The guard shows athleticism when given the right opportunities, and he has shown an impressive ability to finish through contact. He will look to dunk on anyone when given enough space, something Robin Lopez learned on Sunday night, per Sam Laird:
Thompson is a slippery player with deceptive quickness who must be paid attention to on offense, no matter how far he is from the play.
As you can see at around the 4:19 mark of the above video, defenders without a head start struggle to stay in front of Thompson off the ball.
Thompson has shown an improved ability to get to the hoop. He is proving that his dribbling has elevated to the point where he must be respected in this regard. Per Hardwood Paroxysm:
"There was a time when I said Klay thompson couldn't score off the dribble. That time, two hours ago, was dumb.
— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) November 3, 2014"
The season is young, but Thompson is taking a career-high 33 percent of his shots at the rim, shooting 100 percent there.
This is a small sample size, but even on a lower percentage of touches from that distance in his first three seasons, Thompson shot 64 percent.
He uses a very effective reverse layup where he is able to use his body to box out defenders down low. Several examples of this move can be seen in the first 20 seconds of the below video.
The play I'm referring to can even be seen on the heat chart of Thompson's shots from last season, as he uses his left shoulder to protect the ball, which he reverses from the left side of the rim with his right hand.
The Warriors have had a 16 percent higher offensive rating with Thompson on the court this season, and they have been nearly 6 percent better with the former Washington State guard on the court since he began his NBA career.
Defensive Improvement
Thompson was a defensive liability of sorts his first two seasons, giving up between 2 and 3 percent in defensive rating when on the court.
Last season, that number moved into the positives for the first time, and this season the Warriors are 24 percent better in defensive rating with Thompson on the court through five games.
Thompson made the game-sealing steal to beat the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday, adding to his offensive contribution of 29 points on 50 percent shooting.
Once again, the sample size is small, but even the improvement shows that Thompson is becoming effective enough on defense to complement his elite scoring ability.
Market and Nature of Max Contracts
Another significant factor in Thompson proving worthy of this deal is the market for shooting guards in today's NBA. Shooting guard is probably the thinnest position in the league, inflating the market for great players at the position.
In addition to this scarcity of shooting guards, as I mentioned in a previous article about Kawhi Leonard, the nature of max contracts has changed.
Max contracts are given to players who have proved they can contribute and develop into a star during the duration of the contract, not necessarily as much before it.
The Warriors were forced to lock up their young star guard due to his elite scoring ability and versatility, his improved defense, the scarcity of quality stars at 2-guard and the nature of max contracts.
The Warriors are 3-0 on the back of a hot start by Thompson, and Golden State hopes he can continue this level of play and continue to prove he is worthy of his contract.
All advanced statistics and charts from Basketball-Reference.com.
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