Klay Thompson on All-NBA Snub: Are That Many Guards Better Than Me? 'No'

Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson wasn't sweating his omission from any of this year's three All-NBA teams.

Thompson was informed of the snub Thursday by reporters. When asked about it, he said he'd "rather win a championship than be third-team All-NBA." However, Thompson did question whether there were six guards better than him, per The Athletic's Anthony Slater:

According to NBA.com, Thompson received three votes for the second team and 18 votes for the third team. He was 24 total points behind Charlotte Hornets point guard Kemba Walker for the final backcourt spot on the third team.

ESPN's Tim Bontemps noted the financial ramifications of the All-NBA results:

In a vacuum, one could argue Thompson is a better player than Walker. Based on their respective performances, though, Walker was the more deserving All-NBA candidate.

Walker averaged more points (25.6), rebounds (4.4) and assists (5.9) than Thompson (21.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists). His .558 true shooting percentage was only slightly behind Thompson (.571) even though he attempted 282 more shots.

In general, Thompson didn't have a great regular season by his usual standards. He hit only 40.2 percent of his three-pointers—the second-lowest mark of his career—and his net rating fell from plus-7.0 in 2017-18 to plus-6.4, per NBA.com.

Because he's the third option in the Warriors' offense, Thompson didn't have the same kind of opportunities to put his team on his back and grab headlines like Walker and Russell Westbrook, the other third-team guard, did.

To some extent, Thompson's dismissive attitude toward the All-NBA teams is understandable, but the voting panel didn't necessarily mess up by putting Walker in ahead of him.