Since Klay Thompson’s return from injury, Steve Kerr has noticed that the veteran has had to be more aggressive on the floor without the likes of Kevin Durant and Draymond Green on the floor with him.
Ever since his return to the court, Klay Thompson's minutes have been capped, only increasing modestly over the previous seven weeks.
Come playoff time, though, that will change.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr joined 95.7 The Game's Damon & Ratto on Friday, where he discussed Golden State's plan for Thompson's minutes the rest of the season and how they will increase in the playoffs.
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“Thirty-four [minutes] is what we kinda map out for Klay and Steph [Curry], 34 to 36,” Kerr said. “Steph has gone over that quite a bit this year just out of necessity, When the playoffs come, 34 to 36 becomes 36 to 39. We’re still six, seven weeks away from the playoffs. As Klay continues to improve and ramp up the minutes, I think that’s where we’re heading. He’s gonna be fully capable of playing a 38-minute playoff game without any problem.”
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Against the Denver Nuggets on February 16, Thompson played a season-high 31 minutes. In the Warriors' first game back from the All-Star break on Thursday night, Klay played just 25 minutes against the Portland Trail Blazers. Eventually beating Portland by 37 points, the Warriors held a big enough lead to where none of the five starters exceeded 27 minutes of action.
Throughout Golden State's remaining 22 games, Thompson should return to playing normal minutes to close out the season.
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