Klay Thompson is mired in what might be the worst stretch of his career. Through six games this season, Thompson, last year’s three-point shootout champion, is shooting a shocking 19.6 percent from beyond the arc. What’s especially head scratching, is the fact that his struggles are not the result of poor looks. As pointed out by Sam Esfandiari, the Warriors shooting guard is 20 percent on threes considered open or wide open.
Compare that with his 44.2 percentage on those last year, and his 42.5 percentage overall, and it certainly seems like something’s not right. The shots continued to clank on Friday night in what was Thompson’s worst performance of the season, going 2-for-10 from deep and 4-for-18 overall, with the offensive frustration also taking a toll on his defensive focus.
Though only six games in, concerns are starting to grow, but Thompson is doing his best to remain even keel during this tough and confusing stretch.
“Not making shots,” Thompson told ESPN’s Ethan Strauss when asked about his struggles. “I’m not going to panic, playing like crap. It’s November so I’m not going to panic. I had a bad start last year, too. That’s all I got for you.”
Thompson’s start last year wasn’t this bad, but his simple assessment is probably correct. All-time great shooters don’t become bad overnight, and as long as Thompson keeps his focus and keeps taking the shots he normally makes, they will start to fall.
Still, there is no denying that this is one of the more baffling storylines so far in the young season.