The Golden State Warriors had the worst record in the entire NBA when the 2019-20 season was indefinitely suspended due to the outbreak of the coronavirus in March. As a result, the Warriors won’t be one of the 22 teams heading to Orlando when the season resumes at the end of July. So for the Warriors, it’s all about next season — and beyond — at this point in time, and they just got some news in that regard.
All-Star shooting guard Klay Thompson, who underwent ACL surgery last June following an injury sustained in the 2019 Finals, has been training without restriction, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Thompson signed a fresh, five-year max deal with the Warriors last summer following the surgery. From Slater:
One of the largest early hurdles for the Warriors’ long offseason has been cleared. Klay Thompson, nearing the one-year anniversary of his left ACL surgery, has been training without restriction on his healed knee, sources told The Athletic. He received the final medical clearance a couple weeks back and has been ramping up his workouts since, including a high-octane session on Thursday… He’s essentially reached the finish line of his left knee rehab, as medically approved by his physician. If it were midseason, Thompson would be getting his body ready for a targeted return.
Thompson is currently limited in his rehab as restrictions that prevent players from playing five-on-five are still in place as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. Until Thompson is able to play in game-like situations he won’t be able to get back into full game shape, but his progress is still an obvious positive nonetheless. By the time the 2020-21 season starts, Thompson should be good to go.
Considering the fact that his team will go nearly nine months without playing a game after not being invited to Orlando, Warriors coach Steve Kerr hopes that the league will allow the teams that won’t be in Orlando to conduct a minicamp prior to the official start of next season’s training camps.
“We definitely need to get our team together for a period of time,” Kerr said. “I don’t know for how long, but we definitely need to be together and have some practice sessions. Given that 22 of the teams are going to be allowed to do so for minimum of a couple weeks’ practice and a couple weeks’ games, while the rest of us are not part of that, the league is sensitive to giving us the space that we’re going to need. So we’re still in touch with the league about what that means.”
If the league ultimately does permit the Warriors and the other teams that didn’t go to Orlando to hold some sort of camp, Kerr expects that all three of his veteran All-Stars — Thompson, Stephen Curry and Draymond Green — would participate.
“I would not consider this voluntary workouts,” Kerr said. “Obviously, these are really unique circumstances, but given that we would be staring at a nine-month break, to be perfectly honest, I would be shocked if any one of those three guys said to me, ‘No, I don’t want the work.’ They all know they need the work. And we all need the work, so they’ll be there.”
Due largely to injury issues, this season was a forgettable one for the Warriors. But, they still have the league’s best backcourt in Thompson and Curry and as long as those two are healthy next season, Golden State can quickly regain its position among the league’s elite.
