PHOENIX — Klay Thompson pulled tight on the laces of his hightop Chuck Taylors, head down but voice elevated as he sat at his locker at Footprint Center to unpack an unfamiliar feeling.
“I deserved to be benched tonight,” Thompson said. “I played like crap.”
It wasn’t long before that coach Steve Kerr pulled the lever he’s been hesitating to grasp; late in the fourth quarter down four against the Phoenix Suns, Thompson, considered still one of the NBA’s most prolific crunch-time scorers, was benched.
Thompson caused a scene during the deciding timeout. He was throwing towels, pacing around the Warriors’ bench and yelling at those around him who’d listen. Steph Curry took his shoulders to calm him, knowing that kind of reaction was justified just as much as Kerr’s decision.
“Of course it frustrates me. You think I’m going to just chill? I’m friggin’ competitive,” Thompson said. “At the end of the day, I’m one of the most competitive people to put on this uniform on. I can say that with confidence, too. But whatever, I guess I didn’t bring it today. I deserved it.”
Curry and Draymond Green have often said Thompson is one of the most competitive players in the game; all that towel throwing was just the juice bubbling over.
“I expect him to be pissed off, for sure,” Curry said. “As a competitor, we all want to be out there. He deserves to be out there based on his resume, what he’s done for this team. But I expect him to remain confident in himself and understand that we are all confident in him.”
Kerr’s rotation decisions fulfilled his commitment to put away the comfort blanket amid a wholly mediocre start. He started with his typical five, Curry, Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green and Kevon Looney, but went through a full rotation evolution throughout the Warriors’ eventual 119-116 loss to Phoenix on Tuesday night.
It was a bench unit that featured Thompson along with Chris Paul, Brandin Podziemski, Jonathan Kuminga and Dario Saric that fueled a 15-2 run to start the second quarter, giving Golden State a 13-point lead. It was the starting group along with Andrew Wiggins, Green and Curry that squandered that lead to three by halftime.
Of the Warriors’ five starters, only Curry made it to the final buzzer. Green was ejected in the third quarter for swinging an arm at Jusuf Nurkic. Wiggins was also benched in that fourth quarter crunch time and often replaced by Kuminga in key moments throughout. In fact, Wiggins played just 15 minutes and was a minus-19 shooting 1-of-7 from the field along with three turnovers.
“It just wasn’t his game,” Kerr said. “That’s why I went away from him.”
Kevon Looney’s rough season tumbled even further with a scoreless, five-rebound night in which he was a minus-13 in 12 minutes.
Thompson shot 2-for-10 from the field and 1-of-8 from 3 to finish plus-4 with five rebounds and seven points. Moreover, he was forcing shots to a point where Kerr would intercept him on his way back to the bench for a few reminding words. Thompson appeared to nod in agreement.
The bench unit kept Golden State afloat against a Suns team playing without Kevin Durant. After the half, Kuminga had replaced Looney and Podziemski for Wiggins to start the third quarter.
The rookie Podziemski was the spark, a plus-18 with 20 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. The veteran Paul was the glue, a plus-12 with 15 points, 11 assists and five rebounds. Kuminga kept up his hot streak, scoring 16 points with six rebounds and giving the Warriors all the force on the wing they could dream of getting from Wiggins. Saric was always good for a bucket, scoring 15 for a team-best plus-21.
The reserves were the stars.
“Tonight, I just felt like I had to play the guys who are playing the best,” Kerr said. “I’ve been really patient and trying to get everyone organized into groups and give guys freedom and space but tonight didn’t feel like a night to have a lot of patience. We needed urgency and that’s why we made the moves.”
If the Warriors want to set themselves straight, Kerr will have to lean into this rotational disarray. Benching one of his core three for the moment he lives for was perhaps the most difficult step. But it’s out of the way. And though Thompson later tied his shoelace bows with an extra agitation, there was a level of understanding to his fury that gave this dark moment a silver lining.
Thompson knows he hasn’t been great this year. He’s averaging 15.8 points per game shooting 35.4% from 3, all career lows by a hefty margin. More than anger, his pride took over.
“Twenty games in and haven’t caught a good rhythm, so I give credit to our bench. Honestly, played awesome,” he said. “Guys are stepping up.”
What’s next is a more daunting question about this team’s identity. Past the quarter pole, they must sort through a changing of the guard, rely on youth and experiment during a crucial stretch where too much experimentation could doom their title hopes.
After a minute venting, Thompson put on his hat and considered the shakeup afoot.
“I trust Steve,” he said. “I trust Steve now and I forever will.”