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No Splash Brother Left Behind?

Did Klay Thompson deserve an NBA All-Team selection for his 2018-2019 regular season performance?

By Thuurd .IPublished 5 years ago 3 min read
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Klay Thompson does not believe that the 2018-2019 All NBA Guards are better players than him.

After a long 82 game NBA regular season, the NBA was ready to reward some of its best players with some of the league’s highest honors. When the NBA All Teams rosters were released to the public on Thursday, many NBA fans and critics began to evaluate the roster to check its validity. In a year where so many fans were able to see so many different players reach a new level of success, it would be no surprise to see new faces on the 2018-2019 All NBA roster. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry, Paul George, James Harden, and Nikola Jokic were the five individuals that received first team honors. Jokic and Antetokounmpo have both shown tremendous growth throughout the course of the 2018-2019 season and were rewarded with one of the highest regular-season honors. For players such as James Harden, Steph Curry, and Paul George, making the All NBA team was almost a given. After incredible regular season performances, it was almost a given that players that have been dominant would make first team conversation.

When the All NBA second and third team was announced a few NBA enthusiast were confused as to how the voting was actually conducted. Players such as Kevin Durant, Joel Embiid, Kawhi Leonard, and Damian Lillard joined Kyrie Irving in receiving second-team honors. To some NBA fans, it seemed as though the second team was a better collective group than the first All NBA team. To some, Kevin Durant, Joel Embiid, and Kawhi Leonard should have received first team honors. As the last All NBA Team of 2019 was released players across the league began to share their opinions on the newest group of All NBA players.

One of the biggest surprises of the day was the NBA third team selections. Kemba Walker, Russell Westbrook, Rudy Gobert, Blake Griffin, and LeBron James were the five names selected to be a part of the last possible team of All NBA recognition. The fact that LeBron James was a third team all NBA player showed many NBA followers the new direction that the association is beginning to see. In a year where some players such as Miles Turner and Patrick Beverly felt snubbed out of a selection, no player felt more disrespected than the Golden State Warriors Klay Thompson.

Although the stats do not agree with Klay Thompson’s anger, that did not stop him from expressing how he felt about the most recent All NBA teams. Thompson has been known around the league as a member of the splash brothers, a dominant shooting tandem that keeps the Golden State Warriors above water. In Thompson’s opinion, it was almost impossible for him to have not been considered as an All NBA player. Klay stated that he does not believe there are too many guards in the NBA that are better than him and that his five straight finals appearances should speak for themselves. Although Klay Thompson has been a key part of the Golden State Warriors winning recipe, it is hard to say he deserved an All NBA honor.

When it is time to compare the stats of all of the guards who were selected to this years All NBA team it is clear that Klay Thompson just simply did not produce the numbers needed to be considered one of the best. During the 2018-2019 season Klay Thompson averaged 21.5 points per game which ranked last amongst the guards who were selected to this years All NBA team. When it came down to producing for their respective teams it was clear that Klay was just being efficient. His 46.7% shooting while on the floor ranked third best amongst the All NBA guards but it simply was not enough for NBA analysts to deem Klay as an All NBA player for the 2018-2019 season.

After evaluating Klay Thompson's 2018-2019 NBA stats it is clear why he did not make it into the All NBA conversation. When you compare his regular season stats to those of last years, it is evident that Klay had experienced a small rough patch during this part of his career. His field goal percentage, free throw percentage, and three-point percentage all dropped from their averages of the previous year in which he missed the All NBA team as well. Regardless of the success that the Golden State Warriors experience it is clear that it will take more than the clout of your team to win an All NBA honor.

basketball
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About the Creator

Thuurd .I

Photography. Music. Sports. Fashion.

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