Golden State Warriors Make Dramatic Change

The Golden State Warriors have done something with their lineup that they haven't done in 12 years and 684 games. They've moved Stephen Curry's longtime Splash Brother/backcourt partner Klay Thompson to the bench. And he says he's embraced it, comparing himself to Hall of Famer Manu Ginobli:

"I thought about Manu Ginobili. That guy has four rings and a gold medal, and he came off the bench his whole career. And I don’t think anyone looks down on his Hall of Fame candidacy because he’s one of the greats."

-- Klay Thompson pic.twitter.com/8RDtgjYTc9

— HoopsHype (@hoopshype) February 16, 2024

"I thought about [former Spurs great] Manu Ginobli, that guy has four rings and gold medal, and he came off the bench his whole career, and I don't think anyone looks down on his Hall of Fame candidacy," Thompson said. "He's one of the greats. And I thought, I mean, I embraced it before tip, and I mean, I deserved it really." 

His new attitude seems to have worked wonders, as he came off the bench and scored a season-high 35 points in his first day as a member of the second unit in the Warriors' wild 140-137 win over the Utah Jazz Thursday night.

The change in role for Thompson has been bubbling below the surface all season, in the most challenging year of his career. This latest move really began earlier this month when Thompson wasn't on the floor as part of the closing group in a 109-98 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Feb. 5th. 

Thompson had started 684 consecutive games dating back to March 13, 2012. He did miss two entire seasons recently due to knee and Achilles injuries that began in the 2019 NBA Finals loss to the Toronto Raptors. 

Incidentally, for those wondering, Brandon Podziemski replaced Klay in the starting lineup and put up a commendable line, with 13 points, six rebounds, and eight assists in 34 minutes.

Photo: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports