Even as the Warriors pace the Western Conference, the one question on every Dubs fan remains: When will Klay return?
It’s possible nobody — not even Klay Thompson himself at this point — knows the exact date the five-time All-Star will make his NBA comeback. But San Francisco Chronicle sports enterprise and Warriors reporter Connor Letourneau urged patience.
“I’ve been trying to caution people,” Letourneau said on the Murph & Mac Show. “I think there’s a natural inclination to get overeager.”
Many people have circled their calendars for Dec. 20 and Dec. 23 — games against the Kings and Grizzlies, respectively — as possible dates Thompson returns. Those make sense: it’s known Thompson and the Warriors want to bring him back at home in the Chase Center, and Thompson has already been scrimmaging with full-contact. Thompson would then also be ready for GSW’s signature Christmas Day game against the Phoenix Suns.
Plus, a report in The Athletic specifically mentioned those two late-December dates. But Golden State head coach Steve Kerr disputed that part of the report, saying “I don’t know where that came from.”
Letourneau is skeptical that those dates are in play.
“Everybody seems to be pinpointing that Dec. 20 game against Sacramento or that Dec. 23 game against Memphis,” Letourneau said. “Like ‘oh those are definitely going to be the days, one of those two days.’ And it’s like, who’s telling you that? No one’s saying that. They haven’t intimated anything like that.”
So if not then, when? Thompson has been progressing well. He hit a game-winning shot in a Santa Cruz scrimmage. He’s building up endurance in scrimmages. And he feels “more motivated than ever” to win another NBA championship.
“I think it’s more likely that it’ll be early to mid January,” Letourneau said. “As late as mid January. I think it’s more likely it’ll be early January. Is it possible it’ll be one of those (December) days? Sure. But I wouldn’t bank on it right now.”
As eager as Warriors fans are to see their favorite shooting guard back on the court, nobody’s more aching to play again than Thompson himself.
For the entire conversation with Letourneau, check out the Murph and Mac Podcast here or wherever you may get your podcasts.
Catch Murph & Mac weekdays from 6 – 10 a.m. on KNBR 104.5 / 680 and streaming live on KNBR.com.
