Klay Thompson

It had been a long time since we saw Thompson on the floor. His last game action came during the 2019 playoffs. He still wasn't ready to take the floor at the start of last season, waiting until January to make his return. Understandably, he wasn't the shooter that he once was. He only shot 42.9 percent from the field, breaking a streak of five straight campaigns in which he shot at least 46.3 percent. In addition, he shot 38.5 percent from behind the arc, marking the first time he shot below 40 percent in that department in his career. His inconsistent shooting continued in the playoffs, but the Warriors still managed to bring home another title. Thompson could improve his efficiency with an entire, healthy offseason to try and work his way back into form. Given that he averaged 20.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 3.6 three-pointers even with his limitations last season, there is still plenty of fantasy appeal with him. While he may be limited in back-to-back game situations, it's also possible that he increases his average of 29 minutes per game he had last season. Before that, he had never logged fewer than 32 minutes per game after his rookie season.

Thompson hasn't played over the past two seasons due to both a torn ACL and torn Achilles. Before suffering the injury, he was coming off of five straight All-Star appearances, averaging 21.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.2 threes, 2.4 assists and 1.5 combined steals-plus-blocks. He also ranked top six in made threes in each of those five seasons. During that stretch, he ranked between 12th and 43rd in fantasy on a per-game basis. For this season, Thompson should be ready by Christmas, which caps his fantasy potential but doesn't make him un-draftable. Even so, it's hard to know what to expect from the 31-year-old given his age and recent injury history. Even if he stays healthy, it wouldn't be surprising if he was rested and sits out back-to-backs. Somewhere in the 45 games played range seems realistic. He'll likely also be eased into a starting role, so he might see minutes in the high-teens to low-20s initially. How viable it is to draft Thompson if your league is heavily dependent on how many injured reserve spots are available? Two or more, especially in a deep league, certainly makes him targetable. However, if you're in a one-IR standard league, you shouldn't feel pressured to roster him.

Thompson suffered a torn ACL during Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals against the Raptors, and despite some optimism that he'd be able to play during the 2019-20 season, that ultimately did not come to fruition. He was gearing up to play in the upcoming 2020-21 season when he suffered a torn Achilles, sidelining him for a second straight campaign. Chances are, we won't see Thompson take the court again until December of 2021 or January of 2022. This injury is a significant blow to his career, and he may get back to a slow start once he's finally able to take the court again.

Thompson was once again a great source for production last season, averaging 21.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.1 steals and 3.1 three-pointers per game. On the downside, his field goal percentage (46.7%), three-point percentage (40.2%) and free-throw shooting percentage (81.6%) were all a step down from the 2017-18 season. Still, he's proven to be one of the most consistent shooting guards in fantasy. Unfortunately for him and the Warriors, he suffered a torn ACL during the NBA Finals that will keep him out for a significant portion of 2019-20. He's clearly still an important part of the Warriors' future after landing a five-year max contract despite the injury, but from a fantasy perspective, his value will be limited. Even when he does return, it might take him some time to get up to full speed. It wouldn't be a surprise to see the team hold him out from the second game of back-to-back sets, at least to start, and possibly all season depending on where they stand in the playoff chase. There's also the chance that he will have to adjust to playing a new position. With D'Angelo Russell now in the fold, Thompson could find himself playing more small forward upon his return.

Though Thompson posted his lowest scoring average (20.0) since 2013-14, he set a career high in three-point percentage (44.0) and field-goal percentage (48.8). While his supplementary stats are relatively mundane -- 3.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.3 steals/blocks per tilt -- they’re enough to give him a reasonable Fantasy floor. And, despite playing just 73 games, Thompson ranked fifth in made threes (229). Overall, Thompson has been one of the most reliable players over the past four years. Since 2014-15, his first All-Star appearance, he’s played 73-plus games and averaged at least 20.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.1 threes, 2.1 assists while shooting at least 46.3 percent from the field and 83.7 percent from the charity stripe. While he has a relatively low ceiling, his role isn't expected to change this season, so drafting Thompson remains one of the safest bets in Fantasy.

It was thought that Thompson might have to sacrifice some of his production after the Warriors added Kevin Durant to their star-studded lineup last season, but the shooting guard ended up submitting what was essentially a repeat of his previous two All-Star campaigns. In fact, his 2016-17 was almost statistically identical to his 2015-16: his average points, rebounds, assists, three-pointers, blocks and steals were no more than two tenths apart. For the fourth straight season, Thompson also drilled 200-plus treys, with his total of 268 -- which he converted at a 41.4 percent clip -- good for second in league behind teammate Stephen Curry. As a two-way player with game-changing outside shooting, the 27-year-old is viewed by the Warriors as an irreplaceable player in their pace-and-space system, which was made evident by the team’s reported refusal to ship Thompson out in trades for either Paul George or Kyrie Irving this offseason. That being said, with playmakers like Curry and Durant running the show, Thompson may need one of the superstars to succumb to a long-term injury in order to reach another plane in the Fantasy realm, but even as a third banana, he’s still a premium talent. In now knowing that the presence of Durant won’t dramatically alter Thompson’s value, prospective Fantasy owners can feel comfortable grabbing Thompson in the early rounds of drafts to provide a solid foundation in scoring and three-pointers to go along with stabilization in the percentage categories. And in games in which he’s running hot from downtown early, Thompson has the ability to singlehandedly swing weekly matchups or win DFS contests, as was evident in his December matchup with the Pacers last season, when he needed just 29 minutes to churn out a career-high 60 points.

Thompson joined teammates Draymond Green and Stephen Curry in having a career season as the Warriors cruised to 73 wins. The fifth-year guard averaged a career-best 22.1 points to go with 3.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. He also set career highs for three-point attempts (650), three-point makes (276) and overall field-goal percentage (47%). While Thompson has not-so-subtly stated that he doesn’t intend to sacrifice his production to accommodate the arrival of Kevin Durant in Golden State, it’s all but inevitable that his numbers will decline this season. Thompson should have no trouble remaining one of the NBA’s top three-point snipers, and his relatively pedestrian rebounding and assist numbers appear sustainable, but he’ll likely experience a dip in field-goal attempts, which would likely accompany a decline in overall scoring. Still, Thompson’s value as a high-volume, hyper-efficient three-point shooter makes him worthy of a selection in the top four rounds in most formats.

The Warriors' decision-makers are relieved and happy. In particular, head coach Steve Kerr and organizational consultant Jerry West, who were not on board with trading Thompson to land power forward Kevin Love last summer. At that time, Thompson had an elite skill of three-point shooting and was beginning to expand his game, but the team was hot to add Love. The basketball decision-makers won out, and the organization held on to Thompson, extending his contract another four years. Thompson rewarded the franchise with the best season of his four-year career in Oakland. He was named to his first All-Star team and had career highs in every major offensive category. Thompson averaged 21.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2. 9 assists per game while making 239 three-pointers and shooting 46 percent from the field and 44 percent from three-point range. All while playing 32 minutes per game, four minutes fewer per game than he averaged the two previous seasons. Less was certainly more with Thompson. Hidden within those offensive numbers was better two-point shooting and more trips to the free-throw line. And it wasn't just the offense; Thompson's been an under-the-radar defender, but the nation saw evidence of that in 2014-15 when he averaged a career-high 1.1 steals and 0.8 blocks per game. He returns as Golden State's starting two guard.

Thompson remains a Warrior after speculation that he might be part of a deal to land Kevin Love, but the Thompson lovers in the front office won out. Now, the onus is on Thompson to prove his backers right. The fourth-year guard shot 44 percent from the field and 42 percent from three-point range last season, bettering the numbers he put up the season before. In 81 games, he averaged a career-high 18.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.5 blocks in 35 minutes per game. Thompson showed more consistency from night to night, adjusting to hands in his face while getting to the rim more often. He increased to 2.3 free-throw attempts per game while shooting 80 percent from the line. That's not a lot of freebies, but it was the second straight season with increased attempts. It's a sign the jump-shooting Thompson is attempting to diversify his attack. But jump shooting is still how Thompson earns a living. His 223 three-pointers made were second in the NBA. Defensively, he's improved since his rookie year, though he's not elite. We don't see much changing in 2014-15. The lone significant backcourt addition for the Warriors, Shaun Livingston, will see most of his time backing up Stephen Curry at point guard. Thompson has broadened his fantasy production since entering the NBA, but he's still pretty much a one-trick pony. That trick, his three-point shooting, just happens to be elite.

Thompson was able to improve his overall production during his second season with the Warriors, raising his per game scoring (16.6), rebounds (3.7) and assists (2.2) while only noticing a slight decline in his shooting percentages. Already regarded as one of the league's best three-point shooters, the potential exists within Thompson to light it up on any given night, though consistency issues seem to have dogged his development at this stage of his career. There were 16 instances in the regular season in which he failed to reach double-figures in scoring, capping most of his fantasy utility on those particular nights since he's not a standout contributor in any other counting stats category. The offseason acquisition of Andre Iguodala muddles the Warriors' picture a bit on the wing, as Thompson, Iguodala and promising second-year swingman Harrison Barnes all bring intriguing skill sets to the table. Although it may contribute to a slight decrease in minutes for all three parties, the arrival of Iguodala, a top-flight defender on the wing, should allow Thompson to focus on what he does best: shooting. With Stephen Curry continuing to command the Warriors' breakneck offense, Thompson should come close to, if not surpass, the 6.4 threes per game he attempted last season. An increase on the 40 percent mark from three-point land he posted last season would vault him further up the shooting guard rankings as well.

The midseason trade of Monta Ellis opened the door for Thompson, who averaged 17.0 points and two three-pointers per game after the All-Star break. In leagues that take into account shooting percentages, Thompson provided quality returns, shooting a sublime .440/.397/.867 across the board. As he enters his sophomore campaign, the biggest challenge for Thompson will be finding his way with a slew of returning players in the mix. Thompson’s ascension came mostly while the Warriors were without the services of Stephen Curry (ankle injury), Andrew Bogut (ankle) and to a lesser extent, David Lee (groin). With those players back in the fold, and the addition of Harrison Barnes in the draft, Thompson probably won’t have as many touches on offense as he did in the waning months of last season. However, he still seems destined to be undervalued by those who glance solely at his overall statistics from last season, which are skewed downward from when Thompson was riding the pine early in his rookie year. He’ll need to bring up his assist and rebound totals while maintaining his late-season scoring numbers in order to take the next step, but Thompson certainly has the potential to raise his game in 2012-13.

Thompson has been impressing early on in training camp, and head coach Mark Jackson vows the rookie will play. How much playing time can we expect with Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry around is a good question. At this point, he’s third in the guard rotation and has the size (6-7) to be a matchup problem for most twos. He could also get some minutes at small forward but is more of a shooting guard at this stage of his career. Thompsons comfortable handling the ball and setting up others, though his ability to score in a variety of ways means he’ll be filling it up as the Warriors’ main scoring option off the bench. His defense is not quite there yet, but he’s not alone in that respect on the Golden State roster.