Sea Dubs coach explains what Klay will be doing in G League

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Klay Thompson is on the court playing basketball once again as he nears his long-awaited return to the Warriors. 

Until he returns to game action, whenever that might be, Thompson is currently working with the Warriors G League team, the Santa Cruz Warriors, where he will be practicing and scrimmaging. 

Sea Dubs head coach Seth Cooper spoke to the media Monday afternoon, where he provided updates on Thompson's performance in practice, scrimmages and what exactly the Warriors' star will be doing in Santa Cruz. 

"Obviously, our guys were really excited to have him here," Cooper told reporters. "Anytime you get a guy who is one of the 75-best players in NBA history, it's great to have him out there. He jumped in the first drill yesterday, we were doing kind of a drive-and-kick shoot-in and I think he made his first 18 shots.

"All the drills, all the defensive drills, he's out there really getting after it. That only helps our guys to want to see that and see how good he is and see how serious he takes it, but to be around him and to compete with him."

Thompson is cleared to practice fully and has been a full participant, even with full contact. 

"He was cleared for full-go," Cooper added. "So everything we did was full, 100 percent, he was going. There was no holding him back. He was live in the scrimmage, he was live today in practice. There was really no pulling back, just letting him go and experience playing all-out. He did that and he looked really good doing that."

Throughout his time in the G League, Thompson will be preparing for his Warriors return by practicing a few newer concepts that the NBA team has implemented in the time that he has been away from the court. 

"Steve [Kerr] asked us to put him in a couple of sets and plays," Cooper explained. "The good thing is, we run the exact same thing as they do. Just to put in a couple of things for him to learn that are new. A couple of the things the Warriors were running in the last two years that they weren't running before."

Currently, there is no plan for Thompson to play in any G League games, just practices and scrimmages, Cooper said. 

The scrimmages, though, are as close to game speed as they come. 

Each week Thompson continues to progress further and further and his imminent return to the court is right around the corner. The latest report suggests that he could return for one of the Warriors' home games before Christmas.

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Working with the Santa Cruz Warriors is just one of the final steps before he returns to the court alongside teammates Steph Curry and Draymond Green. Whenever he does return, though, the years of hard work and rehab will certainly have paid off. 

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