The two dates many pegged as likely Klay Thompson Returns days will come and go without hoopla after all.
According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania and Anthony Slater, Thompson won’t return on Dec. 20 or Dec. 23 — the Warriors’ two home games before Christmas.
That would make the earliest possible debut for Thompson Dec. 28, when the Denver Nuggets are in town.
Thompson has been scrimmaging for weeks now. He started with shot four-minute bursts but is ramping up his conditioning. When the Warriors went on the road trip, he and James Wiseman were assigned to the G-League Santa Cruz Warriors for extra practice reps. Their recent routine has been to rejoing the team in San Francisco when Golden State returns for home games.
Thompson hasn’t played in over two years. He suffered a torn left ACL in the 2019 NBA Finals, then tore his right Achilles shortly before the 2020 season began.
Without Thompson, the Warriors have surged to a 23-5 record — best in the NBA.