With the arrival of superstar forward Kevin Durant in Golden State, one question arose in the minds of the basketball faithful - who is going to sacrifice in the offense to accommodate Durant and his 20-plus shots per game? It apparently will not be Klay Thompson.
"I'm not sacrificing [expletive], because my game isn't changing," Thompson told Shams Charania of The Vertical. What Thompson meant was that he will still score when needed, use screens set for him and basically just run Steve Kerr's motion-heavy offense.
Thompson also said he will embrace the hate, especially on the road. "It'll be a fun experience going into arenas on the road, with opposing fans hating what we've built," Thompson said. He had a sample of that kind of reception when, during Team USA exhibition games, Durant was booed in each stop every time he was introduced, with the exception of Oakland.
Durant agreed with his new teammate when it came to sacrifices. Durant said he is ready to go with the flow by letting the games dictate where the shots would be. He admitted that he could take around 12 shots one game and 25 the next, same as with Thompson and reigning NBA MVP Stephen Curry.
When a team adds a superstar of Durant's caliber, adjustments will have to be made. While Thompson said that he will not sacrifice his game, he never said that he will not adjust to having Durant in the offense. Though he may get fewer shots, Thompson is adamant that those shots will be open and of high quality. All he has to do is knock them down, which is what he is known for, being the current Three-Point Shootout champion.
Thompson previously alluded to San Antonio Spurs shooting guard Manu Ginobili, who is coach Gregg Popovich's sixth man off the bench for most of his career. In a report by ESPN, Thompson said he looked at Ginobili who had the ability to average 25 points a game for another team but was content in his role in San Antonio and is now a four-time NBA champion as a result.
Here are some highlights of the new Golden State teammates.