The Golden State Warriors lost their first game of the season.
There should be no shame in losing to Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and the new-look Phoenix Suns, but it still feels like they let the game slip right through their fingers.
Golden State’s biggest issue wasn’t even size or the offensive rebounds, as they took more shots than their rivals – it was poor shooting.
Notably, Klay Thompson was one of the least efficient shooters for Steve Kerr’s team.
That obviously led to some criticism on social media, and former NBA player Eddie Johnson believes there’s not much to do about it.
Per Johnson, Thompson has gotten older, and those injuries that took years away from his career have led to this point (via 95.7 The Game).
“Klay has gotten older. That’s all it is. This is no indictment on Klay, it’s just the fact that he had an injury that took some years off his NBA career and he’s gonna have nights where he’s gonna look like the Klay of old and he’s gonna have nights where he looks older.”…
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) October 25, 2023
Johnson confirmed that he wasn’t taking a shot at Thompson by any means, but being an older player means he’s going to have some nights where he looks like the player he once was, and others where he’s not going to be as good.
Inconsistency is simply one of the by-products of getting older in the NBA.
Thompson couldn’t buy a bucket in the first half, and he appeared to be pressing the issue at times.
He ended the night with 15 points on 33.3% from the floor and 27.3% from beyond the arc, which is far from his usual numbers.
Even so, we’re talking about one of the greatest shooters this game has ever seen, so we wouldn’t want to count him out after just one off night.
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