As the struggling Warriors (8-9) sit in 10th place in the NBA’s Western Conference standings, Dub Nation has been wonder if coach Steve Kerr might be contemplating a starting lineup change.
Former All-Star wings Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins are two of the Warriors’ first five who have gotten off to disappointing starts thus far, as the pairing is shooting a combined 40.95 percent from the floor, averaging just 26.8 points per game.
The topic of potential changes to Golden State’s rotation came up after Warriors’ practice on Monday, and the veteran Thompson expressed frustration when a reporter asked if he values Kerr's patience with the team’s slumping players.
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“Do you want me to bench me?” Thompson asked the reporter in response on Monday. “You want to bench [Andrew Wiggins]? You want to bench us? OK. You could suggest it, that’s fine. But, ‘Thanks, Steve,’ I guess. Like, I don’t know. Sometimes you earn things like patience and time to find yourself. I think history is on our side when it comes to that stuff.”
Thompson felt slighted at the idea of Kerr not being patient with the team, emphasizing his status as a five-time All-Star and four-time champion under the 10-year head coach.
However, Warriors lineups featuring Thompson and Wiggins together are a minus-4.3 across 20.3 minutes per night this season, meaning there is fair logic behind potential moves, if they were to occur.
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Golden State won the 2022 NBA title by starting Thompson and Wiggins alongside stars Steph Curry and Draymond Green, but this year's Warriors squad has yet to show any flashes of the past.
Nonetheless, Thompson is adamant that he doesn’t care for noise about the team’s struggling lineups.
“I don’t care what people say,” Thompson emphasized to reporters. “They don’t do what we do. They can’t do what we do, that’s why they talk. Like, come on. I don’t care what people say at this point in my life. Next question.”
Thompson, who has spent his entire 13-year NBA career with the Warriors, understands he needs to improve his play, among others, for Golden State to have a shot at its fifth ring in 10 years.
Besides, it’s a contract year for No. 11.