Klay Thompson doesn’t need praise and accolades for getting back on the court after missing two seasons due to injuries. But Thompson said it hurts to have prominent analysts criticize where his game is at now.
After TNT’s Charles Barkley said that Thompson isn’t the same player as he was pre-injuries, Thompson admitted that bothered him.
“I tore my ACL and achilles in consecutive years, and I still helped my team win a championship. I put so much freaking effort in to get back to this point,” Thompson said. “I played 57 games in three years. Give me some freaking time to get that back. Who goes through something like that and comes back? It just hurt my heart. But I’m going to internalize it and it’s going to be fuel for me.”
Thompson played a season-high 29 minutes in the Golden State Warriors victory over the Miami Heat on Thursday. The Warriors have been cautious with Thompson, as well as other vets, in early-season games, after a long playoff run that ended in late-June.
