Stephen A. Smith just wants Klay Thompson to be himself. That's easier said than done.
The ESPN analyst and "First Take" host joined 95.7 The Game's "Steiny & Guru" on Thursday, where he discussed Thompson's early-season struggles and how they compare to his up-and-down performance throughout his return to the court in the 2021-22 season.
"I said this last year when he came back and he was struggling," Smith said. "I said he's forgotten how to be a champion. And what I meant by that is, we aren't questioning your ability and what you can do, we damn sure aren't questioning your heart. You're walking out there like you have something to prove. You've already proven it, just play. Just play. And so even though he struggled on and off, he had enough good moments and enough big moments to assist and deliver a fourth championship for the franchise in this era."
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Through 12 games this season, Thompson is averaging 15.1 points, 2.4 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game on 35.1 percent shooting from the field and 33 percent from 3-point range, most of which would and up being career-lows if the season ended today.
His struggles have been obvious and his back-and-forth with critics, such as Charles Barkley, only has shined a bigger spotlight on his early-season slump. So what does Klay need to do? Be himself. And for the future Hall of Famer who is racing against Father Time, that definitely is easier said than done.
"OK so now we fast forward to this year, and what are you doing? You're reacting to Charles Barkley and you're upset," Smith added. "Stop that. Stop it. You're a four-time champion and as far as I'm concerned one of the top-five shooters in the history of the game, you're a surefire, first-ballot Hall of Famer. You're constantly being candid and speaking truth, how the hell did you forget the truth that applies to you? You are Klay Freaking Thompson. Be Klay Freaking Thompson.
"That's all anybody needs you to be. You don't have to jump higher than anybody else, you don't have to run faster than anybody else and you don't have to be a Defensive Player of the Year ... all you have to do is be Klay. Go out there, shoot 40 percent from three, shoot 45 percent from the field, play good defense and that is enough to remind people who the hell you are and to instill the level of fear you are more than capable of instilling in people."
Golden State Warriors
When the story of the NBA is written, Thompson will go down in history as one of the greatest shooters the game has ever seen. In Stephen A.'s eyes, Klay's not doing himself any favors by forgetting that.
"I got news for you," Smith said. "I don't give a damn how many people been in the gym and practice, you just don't wake up being able to shoot better than Klay Thompson. And you can practice all your life and 90 percent of the people in the world can't shoot as good as Klay Thompson. What good does it mean if you've forgotten that and you don't know that about yourself? Stop paying attention to critics that are questioning you, they're only questioning you on a standard you established. So get back to being you and then you won't have to worry about no damn critics."
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However, there is zero percent chance that Thompson has forgotten who he is. You can't just wake up one day and forget four NBA championships, five All-Star selections, two All-NBA awards and the fact that you've made the 16th-most 3-pointers in NBA history, even while missing back-to-back seasons.
There's not a trophy case in his house that will allow him to forget that he's "Klay Freaking Thompson."