The Golden State Warriors are making a run for the playoffs short-handed this year. While last year saw both Steph Curry and Klay Thompson spend time away from the team, this season Klay has been sitting alone. He tore his Achilles’ in pre-season and was ruled out for a second consecutive season.

We haven’t seen Klay Thompson on the court since June 2019, and we probably won’t see him till October or November 2021, if everything goes well. He is clearly not happy watching his Warriors fall to the Brooklyn Nets by 17 points while he sits out nursing his injuries.

Steph Curry is the lone superstar on the Warriors team and is playing a full season without Klay Thompson after almost 10 years. Curry got injured after a few games last season anyway and is making a genuine push this season without Klay. He is personally playing really well, but the Warriors are currently eighth in the Western Conference.

Warriors: What difference would Klay Thompson make?

Klay Thompson is evidently not happy watching the state of his team right now. But how much would his play impact this Warriors’ team? Considering how competitive the West is this season, what would Thompson enable the Warriors to do?

While Thompson doesn’t put up raw numbers like the others, he would have been a game-changer. His spot-up shooting ability would change this Warriors’ team who are struggling to space the floor. His defense may be diminished after all his injuries, but having his presence on the court would help all the players around him.

Steph Curry and Klay have synergy on the court that no two teammates have. They can play off each other perfectly, and one makes the other better.

Steph has a lot of shots to take, so his numbers are bigger. But he would much rather be comfortable in the playoffs with Klay Thompson with a smaller scoring average, rather than fighting for the final seed with MVP numbers.