Klay's return vs. Warriors could be emotional closure he seeks

Avoidance is a mask everyone has worn.

Klay Thompson can call his return to Chase Center to play against the Warriors for the first time Tuesday night “just another regular-season game in November.” He’s entitled to say, “basketball is basketball” and that “there is no point in missing anything” as he tries to focus on his new chapter in Dallas. 

Thompson, 34, is doing his damndest to stay in the moment, something he begged reporters to do during and after his final season with the Warriors when he clearly was distraught. Truth be told, his return will be deeply emotional, but for more than just himself. 

Fans rode the highs of Thompson’s countless memorable, and even historic, moments in his 13 years with the Warriors, and the lows of him missing two-plus of those seasons to leg injuries. His pairing with Steph Curry created an iconic nickname and the greatest backcourt in NBA history for more than a decade. Add in Draymond Green, also drafted by the Warriors, and you have one of the best trios basketball ever will witness, with each having uniquely generational skills. 

Happiness, sadness, anger and pure joy. Steph, Klay and Draymond felt it all in their time together as teammates.

Coach Steve Kerr was the ringleader for all four championships they celebrated. Memories are sure to rush through his head the first time he sees Thompson, simultaneously scheming ways to make sure he doesn’t catch fire against his former team. But Kerr, now in his 11th season at the helm, isn’t even the longest-tenured Warriors coach on his staff. 

Chris DeMarco was hired as the Warriors’ video coordinator the year after Thompson was drafted and rose up the ranks to become one of their most important assistant coaches, building a relationship that extended well past the court with Klay and his family. DeMarco also is the Bahamas national team coach, which has received ample support from Klay and his father Mychal. 

Klay’s younger brother, Mychel, played for the Warriors’ G League affiliate in Santa Cruz and spent the past few years on Golden State’s coaching staff. Mychel also played for DeMarco on the Bahamas national team and was added to his coaching staff ahead of their historic success over the last year. 

Different jersey colors don't end a bond like that. 

Among Warriors players and coaches, nobody is more in tune to Thompson’s mind, spirit and soul than Bruce Fraser. The assistant coach joined the Warriors once Kerr arrived in 2014, and after earning his trust, Fraser’s love of the water created a kinship from a human standpoint that was key in Thompson’s comeback from crushing injuries. 

Fraser knows Thompson can come across as unaware or even aloof. He also knows the philosophical side of him that cares intensely and intently.

“What I want to read is Klay’s book when he’s 60,” Fraser said to NBC Sports Bay Area. “That’s when you’ll really get to know Klay, once he’s ready to let go of his inner holdings and tell the world who he is.” 

On the surface, Fraser expects Thompson to show stoicism. It’s part of who he is. It’s how he’s wired. It’s his genetic makeup. 

Thompson's heart will tell a different story than his facial expressions during the Warriors’ tribute video, seeing 18,000-plus fans honoring him and hearing Curry’s pregame speech at center court. 

“This game will be deeply meaningful to him,” Fraser said. “You won’t see that on the surface, unless he makes four or five threes and pumps his fist, but this game matters to him.”

There will be hugs before tipoff and laughs as well. Thompson and the Warriors will likely try to keep their interactions brief, knowing every camera in sight is on them and that there is a game to be played. That part can’t be lost, and it certainly isn’t on the Warriors. 

They’ve done everything they can to praise Thompson and move on themselves. The last two years, especially Thompson’s final season in the Bay, was rough waters for all to navigate. It wasn’t easy on Thompson, nor was it on those around him or those covering him. 

Thompson made it clear that after not receiving the contract offers he wanted from the Warriors in free agency and deciding on Dallas, signing with the Mavs gave him his best chance at winning a fifth ring. Curry and Green equally are on a mission to prove their tank is far from empty and they still have the goods to get it done. Brotherly love can turn to competitiveness in a hurry. 

“He’s close to many of us. I don’t know what the word is. I don’t think it’s a revenge game really, but I feel like there is some angst there,” Fraser said. “You’ll see it if he makes a big shot, or several big shots in a row, you might see some emotion.”

Before stepping back on Chase Center’s floor or venturing around San Francisco, Thompson is doing everything in his power to ease tensions and lessen expectations for what is one of the bigger returns by an athlete in recent memory. He won’t be speaking at Mavs practice Monday or shootaround Tuesday morning. 

Microphones will turn on and cameras will zoom in once Thompson speaks Tuesday night, no matter the outcome of the game. There’s more to what his face and his words suggest. The heart takes time to heal. 

Moving on was Thompson’s first step. The process is ongoing. Closure could finally be in store for both sides 11 games into the season, the same number that will one day hang in the rafters with Thompson’s last name above it.

“Yeah, it was sad to lose him,” Fraser admits. “He was special to me. No one wanted to see him go. But in fairness to him, I think he needed a fresh start and he needed to find love in the game again and love in the process. 

“I don’t know if he felt like he could do it here anymore.”

Klay's real feelings might never be told to the public, better being served for the next trip to Baja he and Fraser plan, straddling their surfboards and letting their souls drift where basketball is an afterthought.

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