Klay Thompson Reacts to Getting Benched in Warriors vs. Nets

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Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson was benched down the stretch of Monday night's win over the Brooklyn Nets, which is one of multiple times this season he has not closed for Steve Kerr. Speaking with reporters after the game, Thompson admitted it's difficult not to close games, but added he is happy for his teammates who went out and secured the win.
"It's all good," Thompson said. "These guys played great. Gui [Santos] played great. [Brandin Podziemski], [Jonathan Kuminga]. At the end of the day, winning trumps all."
Klay Thompson said it’s hard to not close: “Yeah, you kidding me? To go from one of the best players…It’s hard for anybody.”
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 6, 2024
Klay credited the young guys.
Draymond from off camera (to reporters): “I didn’t close Game 5 of the Finals. Who the f*** cares?” pic.twitter.com/CzYNX4vulw
When asked if it's an adjustment period, Thompson said, "Yeah. You kidding me? To go from one of the best players - It's hard for anybody. I'll be honest with you."
"I've accepted it," Thompson added when asked about initially being upset when he was first benched down the stretch of a game. "You can be mad, but I'm not gonna be mad. I'm happy for these young guys. We won. It's hard to get wins in this league."
While this is a hard adjustment for Thompson, he is remaining supportive of his teammates, even if they are playing in his place down the stretch of games. Steve Kerr said after the game that Thompson will help the Warriors win plenty of games this season, even if he hasn't closed some recently.
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Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA and WNBA for On SI. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined On SI to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts and in the classroom earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time, primarily serving as a Clippers beat writer.
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