Warriors’ Klay Thompson to sit out preseason games in Japan: ‘We just want to be safe’

Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson will once again have his patience tested. 

Prior to Golden State’s 96-87 preseason win over the Washington Wizards in Japan, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr announced that Thompson will sit out both preseason games at Saitama Super Arena. 

Thompson, who returned to the court in January 2022 after two and a half years rehabbing from injuries, will be held out as he ramps up before the start of the 2022-2023 NBA season.

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“Just feel more comfortable giving him a little more of a ramp up,” Kerr said on Friday, according to ESPN. “He’s just not quite ready to play at this point, just based on where, you know, we’re so early in camp. We just want to be safe and make sure he gets a good ramp-up before he plays in games.”

Thompson warmed up before Friday’s game, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. 

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“Just coming off the two years with the injuries, this is really unique to play a game after 3½ practices, so we’re just being cautious and trying to do the smart thing,” Kerr said.

Thompson’s injuries coincided with two difficult years for the Warriors, who went 15-50 during the 2019-2020 season and missed out on the playoffs in 2020-2021. 

Thompson’s first major injury came during the 2019 NBA Finals when the five-time All-Star tore his ACL against the Toronto Raptors in Game 6. As he was preparing for the 2020-2021 season, he tore his Achilles, costing him another year.

Golden State was very cautious with Thompson in his return last season, putting him on a minutes restriction and never allowing him to play on back-to-back nights. 

Even with the restrictions, Thompson’s return to the court in 2022 was a success, appearing in 32 regular season games and averaging 20.4 points per game on 38.5% from the three-point line. 

During the Warriors’ NBA championship run, Thompson averaged 36 minutes per game, shooting 38.5% from beyond the arc. 

Golden State will return to the Bay Area for three preseason games at Chase Center before starting their title defense.