Golden State Warriors

Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Klay Thompson's struggles are largely mental, as he continues the worst stretch of his professional basketball career.

“In some ways right now Klay just has to get out of his own way and free himself up and just play, enjoy the game instead of wrapping himself up in every single shot. ... He just needs to just relax and go play," Kerr told reporters before Wednesday's loss to the Phoenix Suns.

Thompson is averaging 14.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game while shooting a wretched 35.1 percent from the floor. He has not made half of his shots in a single game yet this season and shot under 40 percent for a fourth straight game Wednesday, finishing with 19 points on 6-of-17 shooting.

"The best I ever felt was in 2019. I know I can't get back there, but even if I get to 90 percent of that—still hell of a player," Thompson told ESPN's Ramona Shelburne. "Still a hell of a championship team."

Thompson missed the entire 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons after suffering a torn ACL in the 2019 NBA Finals and then a ruptured Achilles a year later when training for his return. He returned to the lineup last season after a 30-month absence from competitive basketball and looked surprisingly solid, averaging 20.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.

While Thompson was inconsistent on a night-to-night basis and still diminished from his 2019 form, he was a solid role player with occasional flashes of greatness.

This season, Thompson has been a complete mess on both ends of the floor, clanging shots we've never seen him miss while being a liability on the defensive end. It's unlikely Thompson ever returns to his All-Defensive Team-level defense he was playing three years ago, but Kerr is almost certainly correct in pointing out that his shooting struggles are mental.

Thompson, who has been known for his laid-back demeanor through his career, was visibly irritated with being called out by TNT's Charles Barkley last month. With Warriors fans also growing frustrated with Thompson's play amid the team's disappointing 6-9 start, it's easy to see why Thompson is pressing.

That said, a mean regression is coming at some point. It makes no logical sense for Thompson to be a lesser-but-still-effective player last season and a total mess this season—particularly after his first healthy summer since 2018.

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said the team has lacked a "certain commitment" at both ends of the floor during the early stages of the 2022-23 season.

The reigning NBA champions suffered a 130-119 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night, which dropped their record to 6-9, including an 0-8 mark on the road.

"We lack collective grit. We're playing a Drew League game right now," Kerr told reporters. "I've always felt the game rewards you if you commit to the game. If you really compete together, shots go in, calls go your way, breaks fall your way, and we're not earning any of this stuff. That's why we are winless on the road. It's a pickup game."

The Warriors' biggest problems have come at the defensive end, which qualifies as a surprise given how well they played in that regard last season.

Golden State ranks 23rd in defensive efficiency (110.4 points allowed per 100 possessions) so far this season after leading the NBA in that category last year (103.9), per ESPN.

Those issues continued Wednesday night as the Suns shot 51.2 percent from the field (44 of 86), including 52.5 percent on threes (21 of 40).

"It's a pickup game out there," Kerr said. "There's no execution at either end. No certain commitment to the group to get three stops in a row, to execute on offense."

The inability to generate consistent stops defensively has wasted a terrific start to the campaign from Stephen Curry, who kept rolling with 50 points against Phoenix.

"I'm scoring great, trying to be efficient and I'm going to keep doing that," Curry said. "But, there's a collective kind of mindset around how I need to help everybody get in the right frame of mind to try and win, and I'm up for the challenge of figuring that out."

He's managed to keep the team somewhat afloat with his MVP-level performance, but eventually, he's going to need some help if Golden State is going to make a serious push to defend its title.

Turning things around is going to take a concerted effort to get back on track defensively, especially on the road.

The Warriors return home to the Chase Center to face off with the New York Knicks on Friday night. Their next road game comes Sunday against the Houston Rockets.

Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr understands the team's current core is near the end of its run.

"We know this isn't going forever," Kerr told ESPN's Ramona Shelburne. "This could be the last year; maybe next year is the last year. We're in the final stages. We know that. We want to make the most of it."

The Warriors won their fourth title in eight years last season, with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green together for the entire stretch. Andre Iguodala spent two seasons with the Miami Heat before returning last season, but he was also a part of the team's six NBA Finals appearances since 2015.

"This is my ninth year," Kerr said. "If you look at the core—Steph, Klay, Draymond, Andre—those guys have been together for basically a decade. That doesn't happen in sports."

Despite the past success as a group, the Warriors have been transitioning to a new core thanks to contract extensions for Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins. Young players like Moses Moody and Jonathan Kuminga are also expected to carve out more consistent rotation roles.

Thompson, meanwhile, has not played to his massive contract while averaging just 14.7 points per game with a 33.0 three-point shooting percentage. The guard has a $40.6 million salary for this season and $43.2 million in 2023-24, but he seems unlikely to get an extension beyond that.

Green remains a positive all-around contributor, averaging 7.9 points, 6.6 assists and 6.5 rebounds per game. He has a $27.6 million player option for next season, giving him a choice whether to test free agency in 2023 or wait until 2024.

Iguodala is on a one-year deal and has yet to play this season while recovering from a hip injury.

Curry remains under contract through 2025-26, but his longtime teammates could be searching for new homes by the end of next season. It represents an end of the era for the best dynasty in the NBA over the past decade.

SACRAMENTO — Klay Thompson was getting dressed at his corner stall in the visiting locker room at Golden 1 Center on Sunday night. Instantly, you could tell the sharpshooter wasn’t in the most pleasant mood as he scarfed down some popcorn while putting his shoes on.

Media members camped near the entrance of the locker room, waiting for players to become available. The Golden State Warriors had just suffered a 122-115 loss to the Sacramento Kings, descending to 0-7 on the road to start the season.

Thompson, who is off to the worst shooting start of his NBA career, scored 17 points on 6-of-16 shooting (including 5-of-13 from three-point range) to go with seven boards, a block and a steal in 32 minutes.

He let Warriors PR maven Ray Ridder know that he didn’t feel like talking that night, but the veteran guard eventually changed his mind and granted Bleacher Report an exclusive interview.

When mentioned that he was a part of all four of the championships the Warriors have secured in a span that’s close to approaching a decade, Thompson swiftly interjected without allowing the question to materialize.

“You’re damn right I’ve been here for those titles,” Thompson stated to B/R emphatically. “People act like they forgot.”

The 6’6” guard is referring to those who have criticized his slow start. He’s averaging 14.7 points, his lowest scoring output since his 2011-12 rookie season, and he's shooting career lows overall (35.1 percent) and from three-point range (33 percent).

Thompson missed the entire 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons because he tore his ACL and Achilles in consecutive years. He came back last season and remarkably averaged 20.4 points while shooting 38.5 percent from long distance in 32 regular-season games.

However, due to his slow start, the five-time All-Star has faced criticism from commenters like Charles Barkley—whom he surprisingly called out—to those questioning if it’s time to start Jordan Poole over him. (Full disclosure: Charles Barkley is an analyst for Turner Sports, which owns Bleacher Report.)

The 32-year-old has never cared about what pundits stated in the past. Why now?

“Yeah, that’s true, but I feel like I deserve more credit for battling through all that injury s--t,” Thompson told B/R. “I helped a team win a championship last year and people still want to discredit what you do.

"You know what I’ve learned about that? You just can’t please everybody. But for myself individually, it’s about rediscovering that form of efficiency and that two-way play that made me great. And I feel like I'm well on my way there.”

The defending champs have some rotation issues to figure out. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has been tinkering with the secondary lineup in an effort to find the right nucleus.

This year, barring an in-season trade, Golden State will have to rely on some or all of its promising yet inexperienced talent, including James Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody, to round out into reliable contributors in the second unit.

That's a new obstacle for the Warriors.

“It’s a lot different,” Draymond Green said. “For the most part, coming off the bench, we’ve had an elder statesman [in years past]. Someone who would come off the bench, slow things down, and right the ship. It’s different now.

"The reality is the first guy that comes off the bench is usually [Jordan Poole], and J.P. is a sixth starter. That’s a different feel. And I think [past second units] used to be a different offense, but it’s more like the same, and we have to figure that out."

"We need to understand that what you’re accustomed to when Steph [Curry] goes out the game and the offense changes and there are more sets. But with Jordan, it’s still going to be more of the same as what you get with Steph. And I think guys have to really adjust to that, and it’s taken some time to adjust to that.

"For a majority of those guys [in the second unit], they don’t play a ton with Steph and so they don’t really understand that ... opposed to when Jordan comes in with us. We’ve played with Steph for so long, we understand the randomness of it. I think that group has to start understanding the randomness of it, but like I said, that takes time.”

The Warriors are currently 6-8 after blowing out the San Antonio Spurs 132-95 at Chase Center on Monday in their second game of a back-to-back.

The Warriors are back on the road Wednesday facing the Phoenix Suns. The team is currently winless outside of the Bay Area.

“We’re just in a little bit of a rut,” Thompson told B/R. “But in spirit, we’re lucky to get this out the way early. On the bright side, I’m happy to go through this now compared to a few months from now. No need to panic. We’re like 14 games in. It’s a long season. We face a challenge of going back-to-back, which is incredibly difficult. And then trying to integrate the new guys. It’s going to take time but we’ll figure it out.”

And Thompson reiterated that he’ll figure it out as well.

“I have no doubt in my mind I’ll get back to form,” Thompson told B/R. “I was there last year. I was right there. We won a championship. And I have no doubt we’ll get back there. The proof is in the pudding. But there’s one more thing I’ll say: You can’t take away the hardware.”

Chris Haynes has covered the NBA for 13 years, with previous stops at Yahoo, ESPN, Comcast Sportsnet Northwest and Cleveland.com. You can also find him roaming the sidelines on NBA on TNT broadcasts every week.

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said Friday he has no plans to change his starting lineup despite the team's 4-7 record.

Kerr reiterated his faith in the Dubs' starting five—Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green and Kevon Looney—when asked during an appearance on 95.7 The Game whether Jordan Poole could replace Thompson.

"No, that's not something I've given any thought to," Kerr said. "Jordan and Klay are very different players. Jordan's on the ball, Klay's off the ball. ... Klay is a starter. That five-man unit is the best in the league."

Thompson is averaging 15.1 points, his lowest mark since his rookie season in 2011-12, through nine appearances this season because of a rare shooting slump.

Here's how his numbers stack up against his fellow shooting guard:

• Thompson: 15.1 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 2.6 APG, 36.0 FG%, 32.6 3PT%
• Poole: 15.2 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 4.9 APG, 40.6 FG%, 30.1 3PT%

So while Thompson, a career 41.5 percent shooter from three-point range, isn't knocking down his outside shots with the usual efficiency, switching to Poole won't eliminate the problem.

It's also better for Poole, who takes on most of the ball-handling responsibility with the second unit, to remain in his current role since Curry and Green run the offense with the starters.

As Kerr mentioned, Thompson is mostly an off-ball player, so if Poole joins the lineup, then it would likely be up to Ty Jerome or Donte DiVincenzo to lead the reserve offense.

Ultimately, even though the idea of trying to find a spark amid the early-season struggles is understandable, the reigning NBA champion Warriors can safely bet their talent is going to show through over course of an 82-game campaign.

Thompson may no longer be the elite two-way player he was before injuries cost him two full seasons, but his track record suggests the shooting stroke will eventually return to form.

Golden State, which snapped a five-game losing skid with a win over the Sacramento Kings on Monday, is back in action Friday night when it hosts the Cleveland Cavaliers.