Steve Kerr refused to fix Klay Thompson as a starter despite his brilliance tonight. After serving the Golden State Warriors from the bench for the last few games, Thompson started the game tonight against the Miami Heat. He continued the form that he gained playing from the bench and anchored the Dubs’ offense with 28 points and 5 rebounds. While it seemed like Kerr would cement the 4x champs’ spot on the starting line-up, he surprised everyone with a cold statement.

During the post-game press conference, a reporter asked Kerr why wanted to start with Klay tonight. He replied, “Just felt like… get a little more spacing on the floor to start the game… It doesn’t necessarily mean it’s permanent. Felt like tonight it was important.”

The Warriors rookie Brandin Podziemski replaced Klay Thompson in the starting line-up after the star’s poor run at the start of the season. The 34-year-old didn’t sulk about this decision but turned it in his favor. In the 10 games, coming off the bench, he averaged 20 points. Whereas, Podz managed to average only 8 points in his 10 games as a starter.

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Despite that, Steve Kerr stuck to his decision, and it has seemingly worked well for the San Francisco side. However, tonight, he decided to start with Klay, reasoning that he wanted to increase space. Considering the Heat’s size, Kerr seemed to have picked Klay for his height advantage over Podz. The Coach’s decision ultimately paid off the Dubs, as the star dropped a scintillating 28 on Stephen Curry‘s off night. This had been the problem that the Dubs faced throughout the season. The team doesn’t have anyone to anchor the team during Curry’s off nights. Fortunately, this could be the turning point for the Warriors, especially when their season is on the line.

Will the Dubs make an impact with Klay Thompson coming off the bench?

One of the advantages of the Warriors’ fold is its bench points. The team has players like Chris Paul, Klay Thompson, Trayce Jackson-Davis, and Moses Moody to contribute from the bench. Currently, the team holds third place this season with 3.1k bench points. Moreover, Thompson didn’t consider this role as a demotion. He said, “I never looked at coming off the bench really as demotion considering I’m still playing 25 to 30 minutes a night… you got to be grateful.” 

Klay’s improved form will help the Warriors to secure their play-in spot, which is currently under threat. Will Thompson continue his form off the bench? Let us know in the comments.

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