Klay Thompson drops season-high 35 points in first benched game since his rookie year

This season has been a strange one for sharpshooter Klay Thompson and he’s been very open about his struggles so far. It’s not only about his precision going under, but mostly about his diminishing skill set as his age keeps rising, while his team keeps falling short of their championship aspirations. 

This Thursday evening, something happened that hadn’t occurred in 12 years. The Warriors star was benched for the first time since his rookie campaign in 2012, as the squad was preparing to face their final contest before the All-Star break.

Incredibly enough, the move made a lot of sense as the guard produced his best performance of the competition. Klay dropped a season-high 35 point and heavily contributed to Golden State’s 140-137 win over the Utah Jazz. Thompson only needed 18 minutes to achieve this while hitting 7-for-13 from beyond the arc.

KLAY THOMPSON OFF THE BENCH TONIGHT:

35 POINTS
6 REBOUNDS
59% FG
53% 3P pic.twitter.com/Ye93jLkQ5H

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) February 16, 2024

His coach Steve Kerr, who reached the 500th victory of his career, confirmed that he’s going to continue this strategy of bringing his pupil off the bench. “Doesn’t mean it’s permanent, but as I said I like that [starting] lineup. Klay coming off the bench gives us a lot of firepower. We’ll give it a little look and we’ll see where it goes from there,” he said postgame.

“I thought he handled everything beautifully, the way he came out — determined, competitive,” he added. “That’s difficult, but Klay’s a champion. He’s one of the most competitive people I’ve ever met. He responded accordingly, and played a great, great game.”

Rookie Brandin Podziemski agreed that Thursday’s formula worked perfectly, as the team had a second wind when the bench entered the game. “In that second group, I think we allowed to play through him and get him as many shots as we can,” he said of Thompson. “And it worked wonders tonight.”

The 34-year-old, who dropped 59% of his chanced from field goal attempts and 53% of his three-point shots, also contributed with 6 rebounds against the Jazz.

Thompson believes that last night’s success vs. Utah came from entering the contest with “fresh legs”

Klay was asked he if minded being sent to the bench for the first time in 12 years, and he’s answer was more than surprising. The veteran guard believed that this was precisely the reason for his successful display, as he credited the extra rest for his outburst.

“Well coming off the bench gave me fresh legs, especially off a back-to-back. That was nice, to come in with a clean slate. I took great shots out there. God, I got some great looks from 3. That one on the right wing felt so good. We can replicate that in the half and go into All-Star break happy,” he said postgame.

Check out Thompson’s highlights from his 35-point exhibition in the video above, as the Warriors star only needed 18 minutes to dominate the court.

His teammate Stephen Curry was impressed with his co-star, but doesn’t think Golden State is playing well. “We’re very average,” he shared. “Very average doesn’t get it done in this league. We need to make a run, hopefully, we bounce back tomorrow and after the All-Star break hit a stride where we win every game [at home] and steal a few on the road.”