Nets forward Kevin Durant joined Kerith Burke on the Dubs Talk podcast and shared a conversation he had with Warriors guard Klay Thompson after Klay’s recent surgery to repair his torn Achilles.
Less than two hours before the Warriors opened their season Tuesday vs. the Brooklyn Nets, Klay Thompson -- who tore his right Achilles tendon Nov. 18 and underwent surgery a week later -- broke his silence with a heartfelt post to Instagram.
Steve Kerr saw the message and wants to make sure Klay feels supported by the entire Golden State organization.
"We need that connection and he needs it too," Kerr told the media Wednesday afternoon. "When I went to the locker room after the game, obviously we were all pretty down. He texted me during the game, and it was so great to hear from him.
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"Being injured -- it's always hard to feel like you're part of the team when you're not there. He just expressed how much he missed playing and being with the guys.
"The feeling is mutual. We miss Klay. We miss his energy, his joy, his spirit and obviously his talent."
The three-time NBA champion still is in Southern California as he begins the long road back to full strength.
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It sounds like the expectation is that Klay eventually will return to the Bay Area, and will be inside Chase Center quite a bit this season.
"I'm looking forward to Klay being back in the Bay -- whenever that is," Kerr added. "He's still in the very early stages of his recovery. Once he's really able to start doing some rehab, I think it's gonna be great to have him in the Bay working with our staff and being around our team."
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Klay will turn 31 years old in February, and is in the second season of the five-year, $189.9 million contract he signed in July 2019.