Klay Thompson

Klay Thompson Believes He Is Manu Ginobili

After Steve Kerr decided to have him come off the bench, Klay Thompson reflected and decided he and Manu Ginobili were the same. Thompson says coming off the bench gave him a new spark for the team.

Despite Thompson looking frustrated and done with the Golden State Warriors, he is now entering a different mindset. This mindset is allowing him to adjust more comfortably to a bench role.

“I thought about Manu Ginobili,” Thompson said. “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.

“I embraced it before tip.”

While Kerr said this change isn’t permanent, if it’s working, he would like to keep it. Golden State desperately needs a new direction, a new fire, to get them to the promised land of the postseason.

“It doesn’t mean it’s permanent,” Kerr said. “But I like that lineup with BP (Brandin Podziemski) and the other four. And Klay coming off the bench gives us a lot of firepower. We’ll give it a little look and we’ll see how it goes from there.”