Is Klay Thompson Deserving of an All-Star Selection This Season?
Klay Thompson is putting in a strong bid to win an All-Star selection this season in a field of powerhouse guards. He is already in possession of an NBA Western Conference Player of the Week award, and he is near the top of the leaderboard in a few statistical categories.
But, is he truly deserving of becoming an All-Star in such a guard-rich Western Conference?
The first returns came in for the All-Star vote, and Thompson currently sits in sixth position. His teammate and the more famous Splash Brother, Stephen Curry, holds down the No. 1 spot.
Thompson does get some notoriety being attached to Curry, but Curry gets the most buzz.
Thompson is having the best season of his career to this point, but he sits in sixth position and far away from guaranteed entry in the early All-Star returns.
His line through December 26 is 21.3 PPG, 3.5 RPG and 3.3 APG. He is also making close to a block per game (0.9), as he is using his height and wingspan to stop smaller-sized guards.
Thompson is showing tools this season that he did not possess last year or were still in development. As a result, he has turned into a more complete player on both sides of the ball.
Showing New Signs
Gone from Thompson’s past are the Klay-ups, which showed his undeveloped touch at the rim and lack of confidence. This season, Thompson has owned the rim in his attempts to finish.
A great example was when Thompson saw an opportunity to take it to the rack in the 95-90 road win versus the Portland Trail Blazers on November 2. He slid by Steve Blake and went right over Blazers center Robin Lopez for the poster shot.
Thompson has improved his first step, his aggressiveness and handle to be successful near the rim. The ability to complete scoring plays with the drive forces defenders to give him a little more room.
The statistic that is telling and is something that the coaches helped him work on is getting to the free-throw line. Per Ethan Sherwood Strauss of ESPN.com, Klay said they told him to “use that pump fake, and try and jump into the defenders as much as possible.”
Thompson’s attempts at the charity stripe have been the recipient of the good advice, as the number of tries has risen from 2.3 to 3.8 per game this season.
His shooting stroke is still hot, as he is shooting at career-high percentages. From the field, he is shooting 45.2 percent and behind the arc, he is a cool 43 percent.
He has yet to score in single digits this season.
Thompson enjoys the pick-and-roll and the new freedom of the Coach Kerr offense to really show his true talent. Kerr sees the emergence of this Splash Brother.
Per Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated, Coach Kerr breaks down his shooting guard.
"He’s going to get better every year, regardless of who is coaching him,” Kerr said. “He’s a naturally great talent and a hard worker. He’s an incredible shooter [but] he’s a big, strong guy who can handle the ball.
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Competition
Since the guard spots are all-encompassing, players are not selected specifically as a point guard and a shooting guard. As a result, Thompson will not only have to beat out the competitors at his position but point guards as well.
On top of that, a new competitor and former Eastern Conference All-Star, Rajon Rondo, is now part of the Western Conference after he was traded to the Dallas Mavericks.
Thompson’s backcourt partner, Curry, should be earning one of the starting spots and the other may be going to a player whose best days are arguably behind him, Kobe Bryant.
Thompson should hope third-place resident James Harden passes Bryant, so it could potentially eliminate Bryant from the equation.
Harden is Thompson’s biggest competition as a shooting guard. Harden is playing at a level above Thompson from the statistical comparison below.
| Shooting Guard Comparison | ||
| James Harden | Stat Comparison | Klay Thompson |
| 27.2 | Points | 21.3 |
| 6.3 | Rebounds | 3.5 |
| 7.1 | Assists | 3.3 |
| 1.9 | Steals | 1.3 |
| 1.1 | Blocks | 0.9 |
| NBA.com/Stats | ||
Pro-Thompson advocates would probably state that Thompson's defense is far superior than Harden's, but Harden currently ranks fifth in the Association with a 98.6 defensive rating.
Thompson is currently outside the top 20 looking in.
The remaining two backup spots and one or two potential wild-card spots will be fought out between Thompson, Harden, Rondo, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, Tony Parker, Damian Lillard, Wesley Matthews and Mike Conley.
In a group that talented, someone is going to be walking home empty-handed, and it won't be just one great player.
Coaches' Decision
The reserve spots are chosen by all of the coaches in the conference, but a player's head coach cannot select his own player for the roster. So, Thompson must hope there is some good politicking done by Coach Kerr or Thompson will have to turn up his performance to another level.
Even though the Warriors just ended a brief 0-2 road trip to Los Angeles, the team still has the best record in the NBA. With the spotlight still on the team, there is a lot more opportunity for coaches and fans to watch the blue, white and gold.
Thompson has done enough to be in the conversation and with the improvements he makes every season, he should eventually get a shot to be an All-Star.
If he wants to earn a spot in New York, he will need to play a bit more selfishly and score 30-plus points during national telecasts. If not, he needs to be involved in more highlight-reel plays like when he teamed up with Curry in the 128-108 win over the Sacramento Kings on December 22.
Per Strauss, Thompson understands it is hit or miss and knows how to accept the results.
"That’s all right. Steph didn’t get in his fourth year and look at the year he had. But it’s just the West, man. The West is so stacked. For me, win-win. It’d be a great honor, it’d be awesome, and if I keep up this pace I expect to be in. But at the same time, that’s time to rest my body and get right for the second half of the season.
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Thompson sees the bigger picture and knows he has the talent to one day play in the winter showcase. An NBA title might be the bigger prize he is chasing after.
Stay tuned.
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