The agent for Klay Thompson, who is angling for a max contract extension for his client from the Golden State Warriors, said recently that Thompson is the “top two-way, two-guard in basketball.”
Setting aside the fact that it probably isn’t true, this is a completely made-up category, done so in order to make Thompson seem a little bit more valuable than he actually may be at this stage of his career.
James Harden, for example, is a player any team would choose over Thompson simply for his elite offensive ability, even though his defense has proven to be laughably bad more than once.
Stephen Curry was asked the two-way shooting guard question, and unsurprisingly, he went all in supporting his teammate.
From Diamond Leung of the San Jose Mercury News:Asked if Thompson was the best two-way shooting guard, Curry didn’t disagree.
“I’d put him up against anybody,” Curry said. “I think he does what he does every single night. You saw what he did this summer, where he’s taken his game these past three years. You can do whatever kind of ranking, scale or whatever. He’s proven that it’s not just talk, that he’s definitely impactful on both ends of the floor and knows how to play the game, and we’re lucky to have him.”
The praise comes at a time when the 24-year-old Thompson could soon reach agreement on a lucrative contract extension with the Warriors, who have until Oct. 31 to extend his rookie-scale contract. If a deal doesn’t get done, Thompson would become a restricted free agent next summer.Again, this isn’t a situation where Curry can answer in the negative, for fear of his comments being twisted as being somehow derogatory toward one of his teammates. Thompson is solid, and definitely is active on the defensive end of the floor, which complements his offensive game nicely. But he probably isn’t the best at his position just yet.