JJ Redick Klay Thompson would be preferred by Warriors supporters on Friday regardless of Game 6; his performance has declined over the past three games. With Golden State on the verge of collapse, Thompson has averaged just 11.3 points per game throughout that time.
The fact that Golden State modified their offensive strategy in this series, which strangely has given the Dubs success in other ways, according to JJ Redick, a former NBA sharpshooter and current ESPN commentator, is to blame. He claims that Thompson “probably has been hurt more than anyone by the Warriors’ decision to go to primarily pick-and-roll offence, when Steph’s on the floor in particular.”
Redick observed that Thompson may obtain simpler baskets because to numerous layup possibilities in Steve Kerr’s traditional motion offence, which features Draymond Green as the facilitating “hub at the top of the key.” According to Redick, the psychological effect of witnessing a layup go through the basket inspires confidence for later, more challenging attempts.
JJ Redick warriors
He’s such a fantastic cutter, and if you’re making one or two layups every other possession, that lessens some of the pressure from the rapid catch-and-shoots, according to Redick. “When you’re not in the zone, and your typical flow as a shooter — and I know, I experienced it — is if you get a pin-down every five possessions, you have to fly off, and there’s someone in the gap, it’s like ‘I gotta jack.'” It is by its very nature.
It’s not simply that he vanished, either. Outside of the one game, the volume hasn’t been there, he continued.
In this second-round series against the Lakers, Thompson’s minutes have remained steady, but his shooting totals have only decreased. Redick refers to Game 1 as the “one game” where he attempted 25 shots, although he hasn’t gone beyond 20 attempts since.
The statistics show that this pick-and-roll offence, which got underway in earnest in Game 2, has been hampered by Thompson’s failure to obtain open shooting opportunities. Thompson is shooting well from beyond the arc (43.1% this series), as Nekias Duncan noted on Redick’s podcast, but he is only making a pitiful 9 of 29 (29% of his total attempts).
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What are the matchups for him that the Warriors will sprinkle in for him in order to get those post-ups? They haven’t actually been there, according to Duncan. How many drives has Klay shown us thus far? He hasn’t really felt comfortable with anything, to be honest. They haven’t been successful in getting him the simple things.
Whether this is fair or not, Thompson could experience pressure to perform well in a crucial Game 6. He overplayed his hand and produced a rather dismal stat line in Game 6 of the previous round against the Kings, which resulted in a 19-point defeat with the game already far into the fourth. The fact that Golden State was leading the series 3-2 gave them some leeway in that particular game.
The risks are much greater now. When playing against their longstanding adversary LeBron James, the Warriors are down 3-2 and must win to save their season. Klay may make an appearance in Game 6, in which case Redick may be correct: He has to get rolling right away with simple jumpers.