Klay Thompson’s first preseason run with the Miami Heat did not give much reason to relax about the old early-season pattern that followed him through years with the Warriors.
The veteran guard struggled badly across four preseason games, opening with a scoreless debut and never really finding his shot. He finished the exhibition slate averaging 4.3 points while shooting 26.9% from the floor, going 7-of-26 overall, and 15% from 3-point range at 3-of-20.
Miami, meanwhile, got a more encouraging read from the rest of its rotation as it works Giannis Antetokounmpo, Thompson and other key pieces into place. But Thompson’s numbers stood out for the wrong reasons, especially with Tim Hardaway Jr. making a strong case for minutes. Hardaway averaged 11.5 points in under 15 minutes per game, shot 55.6% overall and hit 42.1% from deep on nearly five attempts a night.
Pelle Larsson added another layer to the rotation conversation by finishing third on the team in preseason scoring, which only sharpens the question of how the Heat will split minutes among Larsson, Thompson and Hardaway once games count.
There is still confidence in Miami that Thompson can turn things around when the regular season starts. But unlike in his prime with Golden State, the Heat are not likely to let extended shooting woes ride for long now that the results matter and there are other options waiting behind him.
That’s a major shift from the days when Thompson could survive rough patches because of his standing and the trust he had earned. Under Steve Kerr with the Warriors, he was an All-Star who still brought value on defense as one of the league’s top perimeter stoppers, and the team had every reason to keep rolling with him.
He also has a long history of starting slowly. One of the clearest examples came in the 2018-19 season, when Thompson shot under 40% from the field and just 13.9% from 3-point range over his first seven games before breaking out for a record 14 threes and 52 points in Chicago.
But this is a different stage of his career now. Thompson is coming off the worst season of his career with the Dallas Mavericks, and he is no longer operating with the same All-Star cushion he once had in Golden State. If the slow start carries into the regular season, the four-time champion could find himself on the bench far more often than he used to.
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Horford pointed to Basseys physicality and competitiveness as traits that can help the team around the rim, which is exactly the kind of internal development Golden State will be watching closely. The appeal is pretty straightforward: if Bassey keeps trending up, the Warriors can lean on him for depth and a jolt of activity when the rotation gets thin. For a roster built on experience, the question now is how much more the big man can turn those flashes into a real role. [Read more 🡒]