Warriors fans will have to wait a little longer before the long-awaited reunion of the Golden State “Big Three”.

Five-time All-Star Klay Thompson is expected to play this season after missing the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, but will not be available to start the year. That’s not much of a surprise considering he hasn’t participated in an NBA game since June 2019 when the Warriors lost to the Raptors in the NBA Finals.

What’s next for Thompson? Here’s everything we know about his injury and the latest news on when he can return to the court.

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What is Klay Thompson’s injury?

Thompson was on the way to recovery after missing the entirety of the 2019-20 NBA season with a torn ACL in his left knee. Then, in November 2020, he suffered a leg injury during offseason training in Southern California. The Warriors’ worst fears came true when it was confirmed that Thompson had suffered a torn right Achilles tendon.

The Warriors announced on November 25, 2020 that Thompson underwent successful surgery to repair his Achilles tear. As part of a team statement, Golden State said “Thompson was expected to make a full recovery.”

How long will Klay Thompson be out?

– Upon. On December 3, Thompson took to Instagram Live and told his followers that he hopes to return “in the next few weeks” or “maybe a month.” by Marc J. Spears from The Undefeated. That timeline lines up with previous reports indicating that his return could occur around Christmas Day.

– November 28 Shams Charania of Athletic reported that Thompson had been assigned to the Santa Cruz Warriors, an affiliate of Golden State’s G League, to increase practice reps. That was based on a report by ESPN’s Nick Friedell, who noted that Thompson was participating in full team practices for the first time since his Achilles tendon ruptured in November 2020.

– On the Nov. 16 issue of the “Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective” podcast, Friedell said Thompson could be back before Christmas Day. Friedell believed Thompson could be back in the rotation for the Dec. 20 game against the Kings or the Dec. 23 game against the Grizzlies, both at home.

“I would be surprised if it’s not one of those home games, unless there is some kind of mishap next month, which we know with those kinds of injuries. [could happen]”Friedell said.” They have a couple of games right before Christmas, and then I think it’s a Denver home game right after Christmas. I’d be surprised if Klay wasn’t back in one of those because it feels like, in the brief looks we’ve had him training … he looks like himself. “

– During an August episode of “The Jump,” ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reported that the Warriors were initially targeting the team’s Christmas Day game against the Suns for Thompson’s return. That would mark 13 months since his Achilles surgery.

“A lot of this is conditioning,” Shelburne said. “He’s doing well in his rehab, but now he’s missed two seasons in a row. So don’t bring him back. [too early]. This is a conservative goal. If you do well and your conditioning has improved and you feel like you want to come back sooner, you will. But this is a conservative Christmas Day goal because you need time to regain your conditioning when you miss two NBA seasons. “

Klay Thompson career stats, recaps

  • 19.5 points per game
  • 3.5 rebounds per game
  • 2.3 assists per game
  • 0.5 blocks per game
  • 0.9 steals per game
  • 1.7 turnovers per game
  • 33.1 minutes per game
  • 45.9 percent of shots
  • 41.9 percent from 3-point shots
  • 84.8 percent free throws