There is no NBA player who heats up like Warriors guard Klay Thompson.
Thompson unleashed a vintage performance Monday night in the Warriors’ 141-114 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder, going off for 42 points on 15-of-22 shooting.
Is he playing at a level that warrants a trip to the 2023 NBA All-Star Game in Utah?
“To be honest, no,” Thompson said just minutes after raining down a season-high 12 3-pointers at Chase Center. “If our record was better, yes, but being two games above .500, I don’t think I should be in Salt Lake City.”
Thompson has played and started 42 of Golden State’s 54 games this season, averaging 21.3 points and 4.0 rebounds while shooting 40.5 percent from downtown.
He ranks second in 3-point makes per game (4.2), only trailing his teammate and fellow Splash Brother Steph Curry (4.9). Among players with at least 400 attempts from beyond the arc, Thompson ranks third in the league in 3-point percentage behind Curry (42.7 percent) and Indiana Pacers guard Buddy Hield (42.8 percent).
Thompson finished fifth in All-Star Game fan voting among Western Conference guards behind Curry, Luka Dončić, Ja Morant and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, all who were named to the annual showcase last week.
Golden State Warriors
Curry was named an All-Star starter, but he will miss the event as he recovers from a lower leg injury that is expected to sideline him for multiple weeks.
The NBA likely will announce Curry’s replacement in the West at some point this week. Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox and Minnesota Timberwolves rising star Anthony Edwards are the favorites to head to Salt Lake City in Curry’s place.
Still, though, Thompson is confident the 2019 All-Star Game in Charlotte will not go down as his last.
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"I will be an All-Star [again] before it’s all said and done," Thompson said. "It’s a goal of mine.
"I’m going to show up when it matters most, I’ll tell you that."