Klay Thompson's Superstar Credentials on the Line in James Harden Matchup
The decks are stacked against Klay Thompson.
The Golden State Warriors' All-Star guard has been assigned basically the ultimate wing defender test in these Western Conference Finals. And his offensive challenge isn't much easier.
Defensively, Thompson has to match wits with the 6'5" fireball known as James Harden, this season's MVP runner-up and possibly the perfect offensive weapon in the eyes of analytical observers. At the opposite end, Thompson must squeeze out whatever offense he can against the lanky, relentless, battle-tested Trevor Ariza.
While the Warriors drew first blood with a 110-106 Game 1 win over the Houston Rockets on Tuesday, it's a stretch to say Thompson passed either test.
Harden ripped the Warriors for 28 points (21 in the second half alone), 11 rebounds and nine assists. Thompson, meanwhile, opened with a flurry (seven points in the first five minutes and change) but ultimately finished with more field-goal attempts than points (18 to 15) and misfired on six of his seven three-point tries.
Golden State didn't point any fingers at Thompson in the postgame press conferences. The Dubs chalked Harden's production up to a great player doing great things.
"He's hitting tough contested fall-away twos," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said, via Bay Area News Group's Diamond Leung. "There's not a whole lot you can do."
Part of Harden's night could be best described as basketball magic. He rattled off 10 quick points in less than four minutes during the final period, eight of which came on borderline unguardable step-back jumpers.
The Warriors weren't fretting over Thompson's sagging offensive production, either. His sibling in splash, Stephen Curry, reminded everyone that the 2-guard's offensive struggles won't necessarily have any carry-over effect.
"You never worry about Klay having a shooting night like he did tonight, because he'll bounce back quick, and he never loses confidence," Curry said, via Bay Area News Group's Jeff Faraudo. "That's what you can expect from him."
Again, there's some evidence at the root of that confidence.
Thompson is a three-point wildfire waiting to ignite. And his expanding offensive arsenal allows him to maintain effectiveness on the rare nights when he isn't a raging inferno beyond the arc.
His cold games don't often turn into cold stretches. He never went longer than three games between 20-plus point outings, and he had only three such "chilly" spells during the entire season (playoffs included).
Curry sounds more like an observer than a fingers-crossed optimist when he says Thompson can turn things around in a hurry.
But the postseason doesn't allow much time to figure things out. The Warriors won't be more than four losses away from elimination until they're either celebrating a world title or embarking on the year's saddest fishing trip.
Golden State can't simply shake its head at Harden's offensive wizardry. Not when his production—plus 20 big points from Ariza—nearly delivered the Dubs their fourth home loss of the year on a night when Chef Curry was cooking (34 points, 6-of-11 shooting from deep) and Dwight Howard was limited to 26 minutes by a left knee injury.
And the Warriors have to at least wonder whether Thompson's offensive woes might be a harbinger of what lies ahead in this series.
Between Ariza and Corey Brewer, the Rockets can keep a long, athletic defensive roadblock glued to Thompson's hip. A 21.7 points-per-game scorer during the regular season, he's a good enough offensive player to beat good defense.
But he'll have to attempt that challenge without a full fuel tank at his disposal. Shadowing Harden is an exhaustive exercise. Bay Area Sports Guy's Steve Berman noted that Thompson's disappearance at the offensive end seemed to be the result of fatigue:
And Berman wasn't the only one to draw that parallel.
"Thompson's missed layups and flat threes were likely a result of fatigue from his defense," wrote Adam Lauridsen of the San Jose Mercury News. "His shooting and scoring fell each quarter (3-7 for 7, 2-4 for 4, 1-4 for 2, 0-3 for 2)."
This series isn't going to get any easier for Thompson.
He has to serve as Harden's primary defender.
Andre Iguodala can handle the assignment in spurts, but his inconsistent three-point shot (career 33.3 percent) shrinks the offensive spacing. Harrison Barnes isn't in Thompson's class as a defender. And the Warriors need Draymond Green anchoring the interior, as his presence helped force Howard, Josh Smith and Terrence Jones to a combined 11-of-33 shooting and eight turnovers.
The Warriors also need Thompson to figure things out offensively.
That's a Yao Ming-sized tall task against someone such as Ariza, but legitimate stars are supposed to meet those challenges at this time of year. Everyone may not hold Thompson in that regard—he's a glorified three-and-D wing to his critics—but Golden State surely seems to.
The Warriors, remember, balked at including Thompson in a trade to acquire three-time All-Star Kevin Love last summer. Golden State then doubled down on its commitment to Thompson by giving him a four-year, $70 million contract extension in October.
Both decisions look wise in hindsight. Love's offensive volume and efficiency took a hit during his debut season with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and his defense has always bordered on disastrous. Thompson, meanwhile, continued making significant strides on both ends of the floor.
But has he climbed high enough to be considered a certified star? Can he be a reliable second fiddle in this series, or should Warriors fans buckle in for a run of peaks and valleys?
Those answers will be coming shortly.
The Dubs could give him some help by relieving him from some of that Harden duty. Thompson might be the best option to chase The Beard, but he isn't the only one. Iguodala, Barnes and Shaun Livingston are all capable of chipping in on Harden. If he's putting up points regardless of his matchup, the damage would be minimal on Golden State's end.
And the payoff could be huge. Let Thompson get his legs underneath him during his handful of minutes away from Harden, and Thompson can be an incendiary offensive force. He booked his first All-Star appearance this season, while posting personal bests in points, field-goal percentage (46.3), three-point percentage (43.9), assists (2.9), steals (1.1) and player efficiency rating (20.8).
Those numbers have no bearing on this series, but the talent is obviously there.
It's just a matter of letting those skills surface on the NBA's ultimate proving ground. Nightly battles with an offensive juggernaut such as Harden and a disruptive defender such as Ariza will help determine whether Thompson belongs in the game's current pantheon of elites.
Unless otherwise noted, statistics used courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com.
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