The Warriors’ culture under head coach Steve Kerr has been one of selflessness, of every player understanding their job and executing it for the collective good.
ESPN’s Sarah Spain believes that is an uncommon characteristic in the NBA, and tells NBC Sports Bay Area that the respect of Klay Thompson and Steph Curry nationally likely is affected by that altruistic nature.
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“I don’t know that he gets enough credit for how great he is, because the key to the success for that Warriors team was always about selflessness and playing your role, and that's not how a lot of players operate and that’s not how a lot of the world operates right now,” Spain told Grant Liffmann on “Dubs Talk.” “The fact that Steph was willing to step back as much as he did when KD came in and figure out where he needed to be and what he needed to do was a perfect example of why that team works.
“With Klay, he is super beloved and people do consider him probably one of the greatest shooters of all time, but I don’t know that he gets as much credit as he would if that team had not sort of been built around the prospect of making sure you got everybody involved and everybody played their role.”
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The outpouring of support for Thompson in the wake of his second consecutive season-ending injury in November definitely solidified how well he is respected within NBA circles, but his personality isn’t one that is seeking out attention or notoriety for his exploits on the court. It’s that personality that made him such a great fit alongside Curry, and plays a major role in how the two have become arguably the best backcourt tandem in the NBA.
Although Thompson has been sidelined this season while he recovers from a torn Achilles, he has had some fun watching his teammates play and had some fun with them on social media.
It will be a magical night inside Chase Center whenever Thompson can return and once again play in front of Warriors fans.