Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson is coming to terms with his new role on the bench.
The five-time NBA All-Star scored a season-high in his first game as the team’s sixth man.
Thompson came on the bench in place of rookie Brandin Podziemski in the Warriors’ final game before the All-Star break on Thursday.
The four-time champion has struggled with his efficiency all season, primarily with his career-low 3-point shooting percentage.
However, Thompson responded to his replacement in the starting lineup with one of his best games of the season.
The shooting guard scored 35 points in just 28 minutes to help the Warriors beat the Utah Jazz 140-137.
Thompson took 22 shots and made 13 of them, hitting 7 three-pointers, plus 6 rebounds and 2 assists.
On X (formerly Twitter), fans compared his performance to NBA legend Michael Jordan.
“Nothing can affect him,” one wrote.
“Klay is the sixth man,” said a second.
“Klay as a starter, Klay as a bench guy,” added another, adding a side-by-side comparison of sportscaster Stephen A. Smith attempting a jump shot to Jordan’s silky pull-ups.
“He’s back,” said a fourth.
After the game against NBC Sports Bay Area & California, Thompson revealed that he changed his mindset on the bench.
“Found this this morning,” I shared.
“Me and Steve (Kerr) had a good conversation about it.
“You can do two things, you can pout, or you can go out and respond.
“I thought I did a good job of the latter tonight.”
Entering the All-Star break, the Warriors ranked tenth in the Western Conference with a record of 27 wins and 26 losses.
If they want to make the playoffs, they’re going to need whatever is left of Thompson.
So far this season, the two-time NBA leading scorer is averaging over 17 points per game.
However, once this year is over, Thompson may leave the Bay Area.
He will become an unrestricted free agent after the 2023-24 season.