It may be several more months before the Golden State Warriors see five-time all-star shooting guard Clay Thompson on the court for the first time since the Golden State Warriors faced a torn right ACL in the 2019 NBA Finals.
Thompson missed the entire 2019-20 season before suffering a torn right Achilles tendon a month before the 2020-21 campaign. He is still recovering from his second consecutive season injury after 11 months. The Warriors did not share a specific timeline for Thompson’s return, and the closest general manager, Bob Myers, said, “Sometimes in December, maybe in January, I don’t know.”
Thompson will participate in non-contact exercises at the training camp. He was not allowed to swear.
“If you’re looking at Clay, of course, you’re working at the moment, if you don’t know, you’re going to say, ‘Well, this guy looks like he can play now,'” Myers told reporters on Monday’s media availability. “But he hasn’t played 5-on-5 in a long time, so it’s up to the training staff and when it’s the right time to come back. But we’ll tell you. I just don’t have the exact answers to these questions yet.”
Myers suggested that Thompson could spend time in Santa Cruz, which is affiliated with the Warriors G League, where he could easily use practice time to get into the shape of the game during the regular season. The decision to return to game action will be a joint decision between Thompson and the team’s sports medicine director, Dr Rick Celebrini. Whatever the date of his return, Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters that Thompson will make his home debut at the 2-year-old Chess Center, where he has yet to perform.
Kerr said the Warriors ‘medical staff has “carefully studied” Achilles’ traumatic history of injuries in the NBA, as endured by cousins Kevin Durant and Demarcus in recent years. Cousins have never been the same. Durant missed the entire opportunity of the 2019-20 season and played all-star level in 35 games last season before re-establishing himself as one of the NBA’s best players during the 2021 playoffs.
Kerr said, “I know Clay is in touch with Kevin Durant and they’ve talked about Kevin’s return and the healing process.” “You have to give Clay some time. He’s in great condition. He’s going to attend a lot of training camps coming up. No contact yet, but there are a lot of activities. He’s really excited about where he is.”
In Thompson’s absence, Kerr will not promise an early shooting guard. The Warriors created wings Jonathan Cumming and Moshe Moody in the lottery. He re-signed Andre Iguodala and added Otto Porter Jr. to the existing wing wing, which includes Andrew Wiggins and Juan Toscano-Anderson.
Wiggins’ position for home games is in question, given his opposition to the Covid-19 vaccine. The vaccine order for San Francisco’s indoor gatherings prohibits Wiggins from playing as long as there are rules at the chess center, and the NBA denied his request for a religious exemption.
“It’s definitely against the back wall. I’ll just keep fighting for what I believe in, whether it’s one thing or another, get vaccinated or don’t get vaccinated, who knows,” Wiggins said Monday, denying several requests to clarify the faith he’s fighting for. . “I just believe in myself and keep fighting for what I think is right. What is right for one person is not right for another, you know, on the contrary.”
The Warriors are without second-year big man James Wisman, who is still recovering from mid-April surgery to correct meniscus tears in his right knee. Myers said Wizman is expected to receive full approval to attend training camp on October 15, when Golden State will play its final pre-season game. Wisman is unlikely to be available for the October 19 regular season opener against the Los Angeles Lakers.
“I can’t tell you how fast he’s been and when he’ll be until he’s played for so long,” said Myers, who suggested he could join Wisman Thompson to spend time with the Santa Cruz Warriors to start the season. “I don’t think we’ll hurry. With Clay. Different wounds. Different times.
