Klay Thompson desperately wants to return to the court. The man is putting in the work.
But it’s not going to happen until after Christmas, according to a new report from Anthony Slater and Shams Charania of The Athletic.
The Warriors do not plan for Klay Thompson to debut on either Dec. 20 or Dec. 23 home games, sources tell me and @anthonyVslater. Thompson won't come back on Christmas. So earliest possible return would be Dec. 28 -- with Thompson ramping up conditioning over next couple weeks.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 16, 2021
Thompson himself recently said he didn’t know when he would return. The team is cautious with good reason: He has not stepped on an NBA court since the 2019 NBA Finals (more than two years ago) because he had to recover from tears and surgery to both his ACL and Achilles. The team is easing him back to avoid any further injuries.
With the Warriors being 23-5 and in first place in the West, there is no pressure to push for a quicker return.
When he does return, Thompson will be on a minutes limit at first. The goal will be to bring him along slowly but ramp things up and have him close to vintage Thompson — the five-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA player — by the time the playoffs roll around.