Not Trading Klay Thompson Yielding Huge Dividends for Warriors
The Golden State Warriors had a gut-wrenching decision to make this off-season, knowing the ramifications were as big as any they had to deal with in recent history.
The narrative is well known. The Warriors were involved in trade discussions for Kevin Love, and the Minnesota Timberwolves would only entertain an offer that included Klay Thompson.
The Warriors’ braintrust reportedly grappled with this conundrum, and after intense internal debate, they determined the price for Love was too exorbitant and proceeded to sign Thompson to a maximum, multi-year deal. Love was subsequently traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Klay non trade shows how internal info can trump readily available info. Warriors had a better understanding of how poorly used he was
— Ethan Strauss (@SherwoodStrauss) January 26, 2015
Fast-forwarding to the mid-point of the season, Thompson was already enjoying a breakout season for the NBA-best Warriors and Love was struggling for the inconsistent Cavaliers. Then, Thompson drops an exhilarating, historic, 37- point quarter. So much for flying under the radar.
Klay Thompson has his 25th 20-point game this season (22 points) and has scored at least 20 in six-straight games (career-high 52 on Friday)
— Warriors PR (@WarriorsPR) January 26, 2015
Thompson is averaging career-highs this season in points (22.8), field goal percentage (.481), three-pointers made per game (3.2), three-point percentage (.458), assists (3.0), steals (1.3), and blocks (1.0).
In stark contrast, Love has regressed markedly, as delineated by the decline in his core statistics. In comparison to last season, Love has declined in: points per game from 26.1 to 17.5; field goal percentage from .457 to .433; three-pointers made from 2.5 to 1.6; rebounds from 12.5 to 10.3; and assists from 4.4 to 2.2.
Jan 21, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) shoots in the third quarter against the Utah Jazz at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
The precipitous drop in statistics can partially be explained by Love adjusting to a new system with the Cavaliers, in which Love is no longer the focal point of the offense. However, it is clear that Love is not the caliber of player from years past.
Direct comparison of statistics of players at different positions can be misleading. However, it is still interesting to note Thompson edges Love in points scored, field goal percentage, three-pointers made, three-point percentage, assists, blocked shots, and steals.
Advanced metrics are indispensable in this regard, since they normalize player statistics and make player comparisons more feasible.
Overall, Thompson ranks 27th in real-plus minus (RPM), and Love is 96th. Stratifying by position, Thompson is ranked sixth among shooting guards with a RPM of 3.72, while Love ranks 30th among all power forwards with a RPM of 1.07.
Thompson ranks 11th in the NBA in player efficiency rating (PER) at 22.95, and second among shooting guards, behind only James Harden. Love only ranks 51st in the NBA in PER (19.20) and is 13th among fellow power forwards. To put things into perspective, the league average PER is 15.
Needless to say, Thompson’s statistical superiority over Love this season is well-documented.
Thompson is one of the best two-way players in the game. Had Thompson been traded, his prowess on defense would have been sorely missed. In the Western Conference, there are a glut of guards who are offensively skilled. Filter to the ones that are adept as defenders , and the list shortens dramatically. This is what makes Thompson so unique and invaluable.
Thompson typically defends the opposing team’s best guard. He is able to stay in front of quicker guards and has the length to contest shots effectively. This means he is tasked with containing the likes of Russell Westbrook, Damian Lillard, and Harden on a nightly basis. The amazing thing is, Thompson is able to cross-match against these guards and more often than not, shut them down. At the same time he can exploit them at the offensive end and get quality shots.
Without Klay Thompson the Warriors would have lost their identity as a stellar perimeter defensive team
Stephen Curry has made great strides in defense, and is now a respectable player at the defensive end of the floor. However, without Thompson, the Warriors would have lost their identity as a stellar perimeter defensive team. It is frightening to speculate how the Warriors would defensively contain the bevy of skilled guards in the Western Conference.
Team chemistry and continuity is something that is rather underrated in basketball. There is a reason that the San Antonio Spurs have experienced such prolonged success. There is a reason why the elite South Beach Trio did not win a championship in their first season together.
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It takes time for a team to gel and establish the trust necessary to share the ball effectively. The Warriors did add some role players and transposed bench players to the starting lineup, but the core player rotation has largely remained the same for a few seasons now. It is hard to see how Love could have been inserted into the lineup and produced positive results.
Ostensibly, Marreese Speights, Draymond Green, and Harrison Barnes would have not shown the growth they have this season had Love joined the ranks.
Often times, it is an executed trade that rejuvenates a season. This was seen firsthand in the Warriors’ 2006-2007 season, often quipped the “We Believe” year, when Stephen Jackson and Al Harrington were added before the trade deadline. The team went on an impressive run to make the playoffs as the eighth seed and upset the top ranked Dallas Mavericks.
A potentially debilitating trade not made by a team can be equally momentous. The early part of the Warriors’ current season has engendered a NBA-best 36-7 record, debate of the team reaching 70 wins, a record setting player performance for points in a quarter, and being nationally picked as a title favorite.
It remains to be seen what the ultimate legacy is for the 2014-2015 Warriors. For the time being, the front office decision to stand pat in a potential Thompson for Love trade has ushered in euphoria by the Bay for the current season and perhaps altered the course of a franchise.