Growing old in sports is never easy. Players who were once multiple-time All-Stars have to suddenly find themselves coming off the bench, and that’s the exact story Klay Thompson is dealing with. It’s a story that Steph Curry sympathizes with.
In an exclusive interview with Malika Andrews of ESPN, Steph Curry opened up about Klay Thompson coming off the bench.
“It was weird,” Curry told Andrews. “I’ve come off the bench a couple of times and seen him start, so it was weird to switch roles.”
For as disheartening as it could have been for Klay Thompson to come off the bench, he handled it as well as anyone could. Thompson put up 35 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists on 59/54/100 shooting from the field. The most important stat, he greatly contributed to a win against the Utah Jazz in an important game.
“For him, there’s only one way for him to respond: the way that he did,” Curry said. “I think there’s been a lot of narratives around his season and since he’s come back from his injuries – a lot unfair.”
For as laissez-faire as Klay Thompson can act, he’s still a very fierce competitor at heart. An NBA player doesn’t rehab from multiple serious injuries like he did without passion. Steph Curry believes that type of ferocity and passion showed once Klay was assigned to come off the bench.
“I think the natural evolution of all of our careers is trying to figure out how to continue to win, but it might look a little different,” Curry said. “The way that he responded is the Klay Thompson that I know — the true competitor, the true dawg. He got pissed off and said, ‘Watch this.’ I think a lot of it is just knowing who he is.”
It’s only been one game since Klay Thompson has been assigned a new role off the bench. Even though it’s small, it’s still 1-0.
