2 min read • January 25, 2022
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Klay Thompson was a late scratch for the Warriors' 94-92 win on Sunday night, hitting the first hurdle in his return to play from over 2 years away from the NBA.
Thompson felt some tightness in the knee during a walkthrough before the game, and the team decided it "would be wise" to sit him, according to head coach Steve Kerr.
Obviously, soreness and swelling in the surgically-repaired left knee is worrisome, but our ProBasketballDocs are here to assuage concern.
This issue is likely just part of the the re-acclimation process, which is complicated for Thompson, who has had 2 traumatic injuries and reconstructive surgeries since he last played consistent basketball.
Golden State has shown that they are treating the recovery process with the utmost respect, meaning the soon-to-be-32-year-old could easily sit a handful of games until the knee feels 100 percent again.
The Warriors, 34-13, are finishing a 7-game homestand this week against Luka Doncic and the Mavericks, Karl-Anthony Towns and the Timberwolves, and the Kyrie-Irving-led Nets. Thompson could certainly miss all 3 games, starting on Tuesday night.
Kevin Durant's longest streak of games played in his comeback season from a ruptured Achilles was 8 games, and he only played 5-or-more games in a row twice.
That stretch came in the final 8 games of the regular season as Durant readied himself for the robust postseason workload.
Thompson had seen a gradual increase in minutes over his 6 games, and was prepared to absorb a heavier load, according to head coach Steve Kerr.
Even in his limited minutes, the 5-time all-star has been active, scoring 14.7 points on 14.3 shots per game in only 21.3 minutes, good for 24.2 shots per 36 minutes.
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