The Sensational Ace Says It’s “Very hard” To be left out of warriors’ Closing Lineups he decided to be…
When asked by reporters how he feels about being left out in the most important moments of recent games, Thompson didn’t hide his disappointment.
“You kidding me? Go from, you know, one of the best players … it’s hard for anybody,” said Thompson. “I’ll be honest with you. It’s very hard.”
The 2023-24 season has been a difficult one for Klay Thompson. He is averaging 17.1 points per game, his lowest since his second year in the NBA. Also, he is shooting career-low 37.1% from beyond the arc.
The Warriors are currently sitting 12th in the Western Conference with a 22-25 record. They are 11.5 games behind the leading Oklahoma City Thunder but just one game behind the Utah Jazz, who hold the last play-in spot.
Gui Santos still is getting used to life in America after growing up in his homeland of Brazil, and while it hasn’t been a completely smooth adjustment, the 21-year-old now has become a part of the Warriors rotation, making things easier to handle.
Santos, who spent parts of two seasons in the G League before getting called up to the NBA by the Warriors, has made so much progress that he was on the court for the final moments of their 109-98 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Monday at Barclays Center.
That’s significant because Warriors coach Steve Kerr has been jumbling his lineups for most of the season, especially the group that is on the court to close things out. Against the Nets, Santos was part of that closing squad while others – most notably veteran and five-time NBA All-Star Klay Thompson – sat on the bench and watched.
Fellow rookie Brandin Podziemski also was on the court when the game ended and said Santos helped swing the game in the Warriors’ direction with his energy and passion.
“He’s the reason why we won the game,” Podziemski told reporters. “Without him we probably lose, quite honestly. When he came in in the second quarter he gave us some life. Then when we he came in in the third, you could just feel his energy and his presence both offensively and defensively. I think that’s why coach decided to rock with him and finish the game with him.”
Santos delivered career-highs with nine points and six rebounds, finishing as a team-high plus-13 in 17:43 minutes.
That’s the most that the 2022 second-round draft pick has played during his rookie season and continues a trend that has seen Santos being used more than ever. He has played in three consecutive games for the first time in his career while logging 43:33 minutes of playing time. He was used for a total of 34:50 minutes combined in the six other games he has played in during the 2023-24 season.
