Klay Thompson Comments on Early-Season Struggles, Kevin Durant and More

Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson is one of the best three-point shooters in recent history, but he is shooting just 19.6 percent from beyond the arc this season. He said on Monday the cold start isn't because he is playing alongside Kevin Durant, per Ethan Sherwood Strauss of ESPN.com.

"Not at all. I struggled last year for the first 20 games, and Kevin wasn't here. So it has nothing to do with Kevin," Thompson said. "Obviously we have different players, but I'm still getting the shots I always got before he was here, so it's not on Kevin at all."

Thompson drilled a career-high 276 threes behind 42.5 percent shooting from deep last season, but he shot just 25 percent in three October games in a similar slow start.

While Thompson finished 4-of-18 from the field and 2-of-10 from deep during a 117-97 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, having someone like Durant on the floor should create easier shots for the guard and the rest of the team moving forward.

The 2013-14 MVP is a 6'9" matchup nightmare who can consistently drill shots from well beyond the three-point line and attack the basket off the dribble. When Durant is playing with the sharpshooting Stephen Curry and the adept passing of Draymond Green, defenses can't afford to shift too much attention toward Thompson.

With that in mind, it probably isn't wise to draw too many conclusions from Thompson's slow start, especially since it is just a six-game sample size.

Pessimistic Warriors fans could worry that there has been a carryover from last season's NBA Finals, when he shot a mere 2-of-10 from deep in the decisive Game 7 and 3-of-10 in Game 6. But he was fantastic in the preseason this year, when he shot 42.3 percent in seven games. 

His 276 threes in 2015-16 were the third-most ever for a single season, and his 239 in 2014-15 were 11th, per Basketball-Reference.com.

Thompson didn't seem to have a crisis in confidence, per Strauss: "It's not a big deal; you just gotta play through it. Because if you start doubting yourself, shoot. That's when you're in trouble."

The guard also said he watches film of some of his good shooting performances to get through temporary struggles.

He will get a golden opportunity to shoot his way out of the slump Monday when Golden State takes on the 0-6 New Orleans Pelicans. The Pelicans are a middling 22nd in the league in points allowed per game and will likely have trouble keeping up with the Warriors' abundance of playmakers.

That will mean open looks for Thompson, which he traditionally knocks down.