Golden State Warriors Send Klay Thompson to G-League For ‘Increased Practice Reps’
The Golden State Warriors (18-2) entered the final stages of Klay Thompson‘s rehab by assigning him to their G-League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors, on Sunday. The team also sent second-year center James Wiseman. Thompson has not played an NBA game since tearing his ACL during Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals and then tearing his Achilles during a rehab session in November 2020.
Another step in Klay Thompson’s return process: The Golden State Warriors assigned Thompson to G League Santa Cruz for increased practice reps, sources tell me and @anthonyVslater.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 28, 2021
The goal is for Klay to get some practice time in combination with his continued rehabilitation of ACL and Achilles injuries that have kept him out two full seasons. In the meantime, the Golden State Warriors will be on a two-game road trip. Steve Kerr discussed the process briefly before the Warriors’ victory over the Los Angeles Clippers via ESPN.
“Klay will be scrimmaging, and James will continue his work,” Kerr said before Sunday’s game. “I don’t think [Wiseman] is scrimmaging yet, but Klay will be doing 5-on-5.”
Thompson was cleared for contact more than a week ago and has participated in practices for the first time in over two years. Despite different reports of Klay’s eventual return, with a planned timeline centered around Christmas, Thompson couldn’t conceal his excitement to play with his teammates via CBSSports.com.
“It’s the first time I played with them on Monday, and that was just a milestone to play with my teammates,” “I don’t fear getting hurt again because the last two times I did get hurt were just a freak accident, you could say. I hate to use the phrase ‘I can’t wait’ because I love to be present in my life, but I cannot wait to play in front of our fans again. I really, really enjoy being a Warrior.”
On Tuesday, the Golden State Warriors will continue their season playing the Phoenix Suns (17-3).
