Is Klay Thompson the best two-way shooting guard in the NBA? (USATSI)
The 2014-15 NBA season is right around the corner, which means the deadline for extending players from the 2011 draft class coming off their rookie deals is right around the corner too. If teams and those players entering their fourth season in the league don't agree to a contract extension by October 31, they'll likely become restricted free agents in the summer of 2015 when teams can extend a qualifying offer. By then, you're dealing with the possibility of having to match a bigger contract than you might be able to agree to this fall.
With Kyrie Irving already signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors becomes the biggest name for this extension deadline. The Warriors refused to part with Thompson during the Kevin Love trade sweepstakes, making it impossible for them to risk losing Thompson in restricted free agency next year. His agent Bill Duffy knows it and is building the case for his client to get a max deal by calling Thompson the best "two-way, two-guard in basketball." From Sam Amick of USA Today:
Thompson and the Warriors have until Oct. 31 to agree on an extension that would ensure the "Splash Brothers," as he and All-Star point guard Stephen Curry have been dubbed, are in the same pool for years to come. Failing to reach a deal would mean he'll become a restricted free agent next summer, a scenario that Thompson and his agent, Bill Duffy, would prefer to avoid.
Yet Duffy is widely known to be demanding a maximum contract that the Warriors would prefer not to pay. His reasoning? He sees Thompson as the best shooting guard in the game.
"I don't want (Los Angeles Lakers star) Kobe Bryant to go crazy, but there's some uncertainty as to who he is right now (because of injuries that limited him to six games last season)," Duffy told USA TODAY Sports. "But I think Klay Thompson right now is the top two-way, two-guard in basketball. I think when you look at his body of work, when you look at what he accomplished guarding point guards on a regular basis (last season), I think it's pretty clear."
There are a couple of thoughts here. First, Duffy may be correct in this, but I'm not sure if that speaks to his client's talent or the lack of quality shooting guards in today's NBA. Thompson certainly isn't a better or more impactful player than James Harden, but if you want to get into the specificity of a shooting guard who plays both sides of the floor, that technically eliminates Harden from the conversation. That is, of course, unless you believe Harden's offensive ability outweighs the difference between his and Thompson's defense, which is a valid argument as well.
Secondly, Thompson has some pretty incredible strengths. Through the first three seasons of any NBA career in the history of the league, Thompson is the most prolific 3-point shooter. Thompson has made 545 3-pointers in his first three seasons, 54 more than second place Kyle Korver. And Thompson shot slightly better at 41.0 percent from 3-point range with Korver just behind him through three years at 40.8 percent. Thompson hasn't just been chucking 3's and making them; he's historically accurate too. He's also a very good on-ball defender, most notably when he was defending Chris Paul in the first round of the playoffs in 2014.
However, Thompson has some very real drawbacks as well, which he needs to iron out before he can be worth not trading for someone like Love. Thompson is horrendous at creating his own shot, finishing in just the 17th percentile last season in isolation scoring, according to Synergy Sports. He made just 29.5 percent on his shot attempts in isolation. Set him up for a jumper and he's money but ask him to create on his own and it's been a losing battle so far. He's also not much of a passer. He had an assist percentage of 10.2 last season. For guys who surpassed the 2,800-minute mark last season, only DeAndre Jordan (3.7) and Jeff Green (8.4) had a lower assist percentage. Thompson also has struggled with consistency in team defending and helping off the ball, but he's such a good defender on the ball that it's probably nothing to worry about long-term.
Thompson needs to correct those drawbacks in order to be the best shooting guard in the league, but his agent simply said best "two-way" shooting guard. If that and the Love trade end up getting Klay the max extension he and his agent are angling for, that's all that matters.
Basketball Hot News
Tim Hardaway Jr. focuses on defensive improvement for Knicks
Tim Hardaway Jr. made the All Rookie First Team behind a strong offensive season for the Knicks. He was an aggressive scorer in transition with a nice catch-and-shoot touch who averaged 10.2 points a game and shot 36.3 percent from three. When the ball was in his hands there was a lot to like.
Defensively… not so much. He struggled to keep other two guards in front of him all season long. He was a mess on a Knicks team without a lot of good role models at that end of the court.
Hardaway realized that and in speaking with ESPNNewYork.com.
“I just want to be a better defender, a better vocal leader out there,” Hardaway Jr. said at Charity Day, hosted by Cantor Fitzgerald and BGC Partners last Thursday. “That is my main focus. I know offense will come and I will get better at that each and every day. Where you separate yourself in the league is by playing team defense and I want to be a part of that.”
That’s a good attitude. We’ll see how that goes but you have to like that as a Knicks fan.
Hardaway is not destined to become a lockdown defender in the NBA, but he limits his role and minutes if he is just a traffic cone to dribble around. Knicks coach Derek Fisher is a good guy to learn from here, never an elite defender he was good enough that he stayed on the court and got his shots at the other end.
All the talk in New York has been about the triangle offense — and Hardaway will have to get used to that — but Phil Jackson’s teams defended. Well. He doesn’t get a lot of credit for that but you don’t win 11 rings coaching one end of the floor. That will be another adjustment for the Knicks (and with the current roster a real challenge).
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