Klay Thompson thrived early against the Jazz in his new reserve role.
So much for coming off the bench for the first time in 12 years bothering Klay Thompson. The Golden State Warriors star was stellar in the first half against the Utah Jazz on Thursday night, responding to his surprise reserve role with aplomb.
Thompson poured in a team-high 17 points before intermission, shooting 7-of-11 from the field and draining half of his six three-point attempts. He closed out Golden State’s stirring second quarter, too, finishing the half alongside starters Stephen Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Jonathan Kuminga and Draymond Green as Andrew Wiggins watched from the sidelines.
The future Hall-of-Famer caught up with NBC Sports Bay Area heading into the halftime locker room, extolling the benefits of beginning Thursday’s game on the bench.
“Coming off the bench gave me fresh legs, especially off a back-to-back,” Thompson said. “That was nice to come in with a clean slate.”
Golden State raised eyebrows shortly before tipoff against Utah by including Podziemski in Thompson’s normal place as a starter next to Curry, Wiggins, Kuminga and Green. The last time Thompson came off the bench was March 11th, 2012, just a couple days before the Dubs traded Monta Ellis for Andrew Bogut in part to make room for Thompson as an organizational mainstay.
It’s unclear whether Podziemski starting in Thompson’s place is a permanent change or a reflection of the Warriors facing Utah on the second night of a back-to-back. Either way, it’s certainly encouraging for Golden State going forward that Thompson is comfortable both physically and mentally as playing as a reserve.
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