So … what's going on with Klay Thompson?

Since the beginning of the Warriors' dynasty, Klay Thompson has provided comic relief. In good times, hard times and bad times, Klay just stayed Klay. This is the most subtle and clean version of the NBA of "Manny Being Manny". Sometimes this means that Oracle Arena fans have to be blamed for not being strong enough. Other times it means wearing a Louis Vuitton jacket and sunglasses for a post-game interview, as Klay had done after scoring 32 points in the fourth game of the first-round Warriors-Clippers series. It seems like a long time ago.

Since that performance, the exuberance of the Warriors and the showmanship of Thompson have been erased by a Rockets team that more or less equalized the match for Golden State. The Warriors seem more vulnerable than ever and now, even the future of the team is in question. Stephen A. Smith (ESPN) said on Wednesday that Thompson was unhappy because "his number was not enough called" in those series, and that he "was fed up with sitting down and To have, it's a quote, the "crumbs" left. "Smith said that this information came from people around Thompson, although he did not speak to the star of the Warriors: Not knowing the source, it's hard to gauge how much weight we should put on those comments, or whether it's going to matter when Thompson comes into the free agency unrestricted this summer, but the timing is noticeable.

All season, the prevailing feeling was that Thompson was planning to stay with the Warriors in the long run if they offered him a maximum contract. His father, Mychal Thompson, insisted that Klay wanted to be in Golden State; Coach Steve Kerr recently said that the organization wanted him back. and Andrew Bogut said that Thompson had never said anything about "wanting to leave here". So why is there now a report on his dissatisfaction? Well, when a team that has participated in four consecutive finals begins to struggle earlier than it was before, the cracks, no matter how small, tend to show up.

Thompson is not the face of the franchise like Steph Curry, the polarizing character like Kevin Durant, nor the emotional heartbeat of the team like Draymond Green. This has its advantages. When he shines, it's the lovable gaff who can talk about scaffolding and his dog while shooting down an opponent with 10 out of 3 marks. And when he fights, few criticisms are directed at him. Any regression in his piece is considered a product of the larger problems of the Warriors, and for the most part, it's true. I would not disdain the talents of Thompson's level of fame by claiming that he is a system player, but it is undeniable that he thrives in the environment that the Warriors have created. Thompson is a test case for the Warriors' dominance, and he is often the last hammer to finish Golden State's opponents.

Thompson's unique position in the team's ecosystem has made his performances in the past few disconcerting matches. Thompson shot only 38% of the field and 30% against 3 in the second set against the Rockets. In both defeats of the Warriors, Thompson got a combination of 3 against 12 in depth. If it was another player, we would say that he is going through a very cold period and we are moving on – we might even lose sight of it if it happened in Thompson during the regular season. But the combination of the scene, the match and the recent appearance of Golden State makes Thompson's performances impossible to ignore. It is not the Because the Warriors have lost twice, their difficulties are a symptom of the team's inconsistencies and lack of depth, as well as the way the Rockets played them.

Thompson had to keep James Harden on the defensive side, which was definitely out of breath. In addition, Klay is still recovering from the ankle injury he suffered in Game 6 of the Clippers series. In the last two games, as Houston turned the series into a physical test, both details have had a bigger impact on how Klay plays. Not to mention that Thompson has played more than 40 minutes in three of the team's last four games, having played more than 40 minutes in five regular season games. Everything must be tired, and that may be what affects his shot, which could cause trouble for Golden State.

If you doubt Thompson's value for the Warriors, or if you're wondering if he's a luxury in a team that already has two transcendent talents, think about this: in the regular season there were 27 Klay Games ( we will define this as a game in which Thompson had 25 points or more). Golden State was 21-6 in these competitions, good for a winning percentage of 0.778, which is a better percentage than the one displayed when Curry (0.750) or Durant (0.644) scored 25 points or more. In the playoffs, Thompson scored 25 goals and more just once. It was a 32-point game in L.A., and let's see what we got out of it:

We're still waiting for a Klay match in this series, although it's more like a question of when, not if it will happen. Perhaps all these discussions about his struggles and rumors will be enough to motivate him Wednesday night, at what could technically be the last game of the Warriors at Oracle Arena. (Of course, if Thompson drops out, the previous one will tell us that this will probably not be the case.) If Thompson warms up and the Warriors manage to regain their way of winning, as they should be up to the end of the game. In the final … it would be almost impossible to imagine Thompson wearing another uniform next season.