Two days after video of a visibly emotional Klay Thompson gained traction online, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr opened up about how much being away from the game for a second straight season has worn on Thompson.
“He did have a tough game,” said Kerr, referencing a scene that went viral of Stephen Curry consoling Thompson during Friday’s win over the Nuggets. “I think it was in large part because the fans are back. My observation, anyway, is that it hit him really hard how much he’s missing and how much he has lost over the past year and a half. It’s not an easy thing to deal with.”
Thompson, 31, is recovering from a torn Achilles tendon he suffered during a pickup game in November. During the Warriors’ recent five-game trip, he stayed in San Francisco to rehab with director of sports medicine and performance Rick Celebrini. The two worked on Thompson’s flexibility and strength-building, and Thompson is expected to start running on the floor again in the next couple of weeks.
The Warriors are optimistic he will return early next season, perhaps even in time for the opener. But in the meantime, Thompson must grapple with watching his teammates from the sideline for the second season in a row. This is no easy task for someone whom general manager Bob Myers once said loves basketball so much that it’s “like air and water” for him.
Though Thompson tries to stay upbeat around his teammates, he has struggled at times to reconcile the fact that he’ll have not played in an NBA game for at least 28 months by the time he’s cleared to return. Curry, who has become close to his fellow “Splash Brother” over their 10 years together, could sense that Thompson was getting emotional Friday.
For the first time in 409 days, fans were back at Chase Center. The roar of the crowd reminded Thompson of all that he was missing. At one point, TV cameras caught Curry patting Thompson — sitting on the bench in street clothes — on the back as he offered his friend encouraging words. Thompson appeared to be fighting back tears.
“He’s making great progress (in his rehab), but you can imagine,” Kerr said of Thompson. “Life is tough for everybody during this pandemic. There are enough factors out there that make things difficult. Klay has had his passion and his love for the game just ripped away from him now for two years. It’s crazy, and that’s not easy to deal with.”
Asked whether he got a chance to talk to Thompson on Friday, Kerr said, “I talked to him at halftime of the game the other night. I could tell he was a little down. We all try to keep his spirits up as best we can, but there’s only so much we can do.
“I mean, he needs to be back on the floor. That’s his place. He’s been through so much. We all admire him so much, and he means so much to our team. I just can’t wait until he comes back, and he can hear the roar of the crowd, feel the thrill of competing again. Because he deserves it as much as anyone I’ve ever been around.”
Paschall update: Forward Eric Paschall, who has missed the past 12 games with a strained hip flexor, played 3-on-3 Sunday morning with seldom-used reserves and some coaches. It marked his first basketball activities since he suffered the injury in an April 2 loss to the Raptors. “He’s been coming along well,” Kerr said. “He’s just in that stage where he’s been out almost three weeks, so he’s got to get his conditioning and his wind back.”
Connor Letourneau covers the Warriors for The San Francisco Chronicle.
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