Golden State Warriors: Bogut-Ellis Trade Still Paying Off

Emergence of Klay Thompson

January 7, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) celebrates after a basket during the third quarter against the Indiana Pacers at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Pacers 117-102. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The second effect of the Ellis trade was, of course, the emergence of Klay Thompson. When Thompson was first drafted, he was mostly seen as a three-point shooter and not the defensive connoisseur that he is today, so it made sense to ease him into a starting role by having him come off the bench with Ellis still on the roster.

Thompson is extremely better now than he was when Ellis was first traded, but he was able to build up confidence as an NBA starter with Ellis gone and with more consistent minutes. Thompson was also able to develop his game more fully as the declared shooting guard of the future.

Thompson put in the hard work that is necessary to become an NBA All-Star, but when the opportunity presented itself to start and form a lethal starting backcourt with Curry, Thompson grabbed hold of the opportunity and ran with it towards becoming one of the best shooting guards in the NBA.

With Ellis gone, the Splash Brothers emerged, and they have become the best backcourt in the NBA.

Next: Dominant Defense Led by Andrew Bogut