SAN FRANCISCO – Golden State Warriors striker Klay Thompson has acknowledged that 2020 was “the worst year of my life” and hopes to be ready for early next season as he continues to recover from a broken tendon. Achilles.
Speaking to the press for the first time since his injury on November 18, 2020, during a training session in Los Angeles, Thompson spoke at length about the rehabilitation he underwent for the second consecutive season. Thompson has not seen action in an NBA game since June 13, 2019, after tearing his left anterior cruciate ligament in Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors.
“It was probably the worst year of my life, boys,” Thomson said during a video conference with reporters ahead of Sunday’s game against the Utah Jazz. “I feel good to be back here. I like it when I get back to the Warriors. My roots are here. (The pandemic) was not easy for anyone. Everyone had their own tests in 2020. I was losing Grandma Mary, breaking my tendon. Achilles and I still think about Kobe every day, “he added.
“There is not a day that I do not think about him. And not being able to have the last conversation with him … it’s been a tough year, boys. Not just for me, but I’m sure of you all. I look forward to the future, for sure, “he said.
When asked specifically about the possibility of playing early next season, Thompson said that is his goal.
“Absolutely,” he said. “It could be a few weeks later, maybe a month later, but it will definitely be geared towards the start of the season.”
Thompson said he no longer wears the protective boot around his leg since surgery to repair the Achilles tendon. He still couldn’t run, but he used an underwater treadmill.
“Nothing I could have prepared for or prevented. I worked hard for 10 months until then and you have to go back to the table. I knew I did it right away and it’s a thing of the past, but I’m improving in every day. “
Thompson admitted that the mental aspect of his rehabilitation was more difficult than having to go through the physical grinding of a second consecutive injury at the end of the season.
“It’s a lot harder than any basketball game I’ve ever had,” Thompson said. “It is much more difficult than any conditioning exercise or practice. The mental cost isn’t too much fun, always guess if you’ll be the same player you once were, so you have those natural thoughts, but you can’t let them be better than you. I will keep tensing and I will continue to do what I love to do.
Thompson said he was comforted to learn that current and former NBA stars suffered similar injuries and continued to return to their former form, including his former teammate, Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant.
“I think we have a great group. These guys come to work every day, they’re eager to be great players. We still have so much basketball to play.”
Klay addressed the pre-game media 🎙 pic.twitter.com/15TRheuwEX
– Golden State Warriors (@warriors) March 14, 2021
“From what I’ve read and heard, you may lose 5% of your explosiveness, maybe 10%,” Thompson said.
Thompson mentioned that he also spoke with the Hall of Famer Grant Hill to receive advice on how he managed his rehabilitation from various ankle injuries at the peak of his career.
After missing the entire 2019-2020 season, Thompson said it is difficult to accept Achilles’ injury and realize that he will miss another year.
“When it happened, in my mind I knew it happened, but I wasn’t even so excited because my heart wouldn’t accept it at the time,” Thompson revealed. “I expected to have a calf stalk or something, but I was just doing what I always do every summer. I was in the weight room, I was giving injections, I was doing two a day, things that fans don’t see. I was so impatient. for return to the field after one year of absence. “
Thompson concluded by saying that the support he received from the Warriors’ organization was important to him as he tried to shake off the disappointment.
“Fortunately, I have great teammates for me,” he said.