The NBA post-season is a place where legends are born and legacies are cemented for the people who have decided to turn basketball into their profession. The goal is simple — "you play to win the game."
Each year as the NBA continues to bring forth new talent to the eyes of its viewers, fans are able to see who really has the ability to be titled as one of the most elite players in the association. After the most recent NBA Finals, one thing is clear, the newest wave of NBA talent has been spotted while other players have fallen short of the league's high expectations.
Kevin Durant is a name that will hold weight in many conversations due to his outstanding effort throughout the post-season that enabled his Golden State Warriors to regain an NBA championship. Unfortunately, his teammate Klay Thompson has been one of those NBA players who's value has fallen due to the numbers he produced during the NBA Finals series. After watching his performance during the NBA finals, can Klay Thompson still be considered one of the best players in the NBA?
All eyes on Klay
When you have one of the NBA's best shooters on your team, anything is possible. When you add one of the league's best players on your team the sky becomes the limit. It was obvious that Steph Curry and Kevin Durant wanted to prove to everyone around the world that they were able to not only reach the NBA Finals with ease but also take the throne away from King James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Night after night, the Cavaliers had to shift their focus on either Durant or Curry if they had any chance of being ahead in the score total when the final buzzer sounded. This was a recurring theme throughout the playoffs and can arguably the soul reason why the Warriors were able to go undefeated in the post-season until they reached the series that gave them the most resistance.
Although Kevin and Steph were able to carry the scoring load, it would have been nice to see Klay Thompson contribute positive numbers on a consistent basis. Known as a "microwave sharp shooter," Thompson has had the ability to get hot from anywhere on the court in a matter of seconds during the duration of any NBA matchup.
His scoring streaks would often excite the crowd and energize his teammates, giving Golden State enough power to win matchups in the past.
During the 2017 post-season, it seemed as though Klay had lost his touch. During the 17 game span, Klay shot a below average 39% from the field with only averaging 15 points per game, way below his season average of 22. Out of those 17 games, Klay was only able to shoot better than 50% three times which shows why most fans questioned his performances during post-season matchups.
Mold the old Klay
Although Klay Thompson did not perform as good as he should have during the NBA Finals his team was still able to get the job done. When you are able to win after putting up dismal numbers everything seems to be okay.
With all of the off-season transactions that are happening throughout the league, it is a fact that Klay Thompson will need to work on becoming the player he once was. The NBA is becoming a league that is more competitive and with that being said the Warriors will need all hands on deck.
