When the Golden State Warriors take the floor for their season opener against the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night, All-Star shooting guard Klay Thompson will not be in uniform.
Thompson had surgery on his torn ACL in July and was originally targeting a return to the court sometime in March following the NBA All-Star break.
But, according to Golden State coach Steve Kerr, that initial estimate is probably overly optimistic.
“It’s unlikely that he’s going to play this year,” Kerr told NBC Sports Bay Area. “So we have to understand that. You have to look at it realistically. I had an ACL [tear] in college, and I missed a whole season. Generally, an ACL for a basketball player is a full-year recovery, and if it’s a full year for Klay, that puts them out for the season.”
Despite the injury, Thompson inked a $190 million dollar deal with the Warriors that will keep him with Golden State for the next five seasons (including this one).
As of now, the Warriors have all four members of their new-look core — Thomson, Draymond Green, Steph Curry and D’Angelo Russell — signed through the 2021-22 season.
Even without Thompson, Caesars Sportsbook expects that core to be able to do some damage and has Golden State tied with the Houston Rockets for the third-best odds to win the Western Conference at +450.
They trail the Los Angeles Lakers and the Clippers, who play each other tonight to open the NBA season.
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