Klay was recently demoted to the bench by the Warriors coaching staff for five consecutive games, his first time off the bench since he was a rookie. According to statistics, Klay has previously played 727 consecutive starters, which is the fourth-longest record in the league after DeRozan, Lillard, and Curry. However, this season has been a struggle for Klay, who has lost his signature 3-and-D skills and is shooting 37 from three-point range6% vs. 42 overall shooting percentage1% both set career lows, averaging 17 per game2 points is only better than the first two seasons of his career.
Regarding the demote of Klay, who won the championship in the past, to the bench, coach Kerr admitted that it was not easy, and this decision was also the result of prior communication with Klay. After all, you can't expect Clay to be doing the following.
The same thing happened five or six years ago, Cole said in an interview. Klay is the only championship-winning member in the Warriors' core who has not yet received a contract extension, and the contract negotiation has hit the rocks with a poor salary, which has affected his mood, on-court performance, and so on. Recently, from time to time, he can be seen making remarks that the old minister who won the championship relies on the old and sells the old, and the whole person shows the characteristics of impetuousness, making him no longer the feared warrior in the past.
Warriors management is under pressure from a hefty luxury tax and Klay's huge contract demands, and the team is clearly on the sidelines, even considering years of deep relationships, but the top management is more inclined to invest in Kuminga, who has broken out of the cocoon this season. If Klay really leaves the Warriors in the future, this will undoubtedly be big news in the market, but the impact of the impact on combat power must be long gone. Even if he gets to a team that can offer him a starting spot, he may not be able to promise a second-in-command position.
In addition, most of the teams in the playoff competition need green leaf players in the adhesive form, and young teams entering the rebuilding and looking to the future are even less likely to include Klay in the long-term layout considerations, and even if they do, it may only be a part of the operation.
Klay has claimed that he wants to be a Warrior for the rest of his life and retire with honor wearing his No. 11 jersey, but to achieve this vision, he must change his mindset and recognize his strengths and weaknesses now, and where he can provide the most effective assistance to the team. Only by understanding the system and team atmosphere that you are currently in the team can you play a respectable senior on and off the field.
This season, Klay was first abandoned by Kerr many times at key moments, and then directly demoted to the bench, and it is believed that changes such as these are all attempts that the coaching staff has to make in order to average the overall scheduling and squad depth. Klay is not completely out of scoring explosiveness, he can still score 20 points in the first half this season, but his physical bar is not as fast as before the injury and when he was younger, and it is not uncommon for the second half to disappear until the end of the game.
Therefore, giving Klay limited time to connect his scoring streak may be the instruction manual that will help him regain his feel at this stage. Not only did he not get out of the game against the Jazz in the first game from the bench, but he also scored a team-high 35 points on seven three-pointers with firepower, and even though he scored only three points in the next game against the Lakers, in total, in addition to 35 points in the sample of five bench games, two other games were scored, and one game was 13 points, with an average of 198 points, 34 rebounds and 24 assists, 41He shot 9 percent from three-point range, which is not only higher than the 13 percent he started in early FebruaryIn addition to 2 points better, the Warriors have an excellent record of four wins and one defeat in the last five games.
Perhaps, in addition to the offensive firepower of the current Klay, the defense and passing do not require too much. Consistent and experienced sixth man support is a veteran force that the Warriors need in their current bench rejuvenation. As long as Klay is willing to accept the position of a member of the bench, believing that with his current skills, he will still be quite useful on the offensive end, it all depends on how he views this adjustment in his mentality.
If Clay is willing to lead the bench from the bench all the time, it may not only cover the fact that he is losing fitness quickly, but also help the team increase the connection between the starting and substitution. It's impossible to imagine the weirdness of Klay wearing a different jersey, but anything can happen in a league of businessmen. If Klay wants to stay with the Warriors for a long time until he retires, not inflating himself with four championship rings, or compromising on the option of a pay cut, these are the choices he must make to go with the trend.