Klay Thompson is living a nightmare against the Grizzlies
Golden State's All-Star shooting guard Klay Thompson is almost impossible to defend. He's as good a shooter as just about anyone in the league (43.9 percent from deep on 7.1 attempts per game this season), and at 6'7" can post up smaller guards trying to swarm him on the perimeter.
But the Memphis Grizzlies are built to lock down opposing wings, and that's exactly what they did to Thompson in Game 2. Here's SB Nation's Satchel Price with a closer look at why Thompson is struggling in this series:
"The Warriors have been able to dictate things on the offensive side of the floor pretty much all year, but in Game 2, we saw one of the rare teams capable of stifling that brilliance with a combination of aggression, cohesion and toughness. Thompson's struggles are a reflection of that effort. With the likes of Tony Allen, Mike Conley and others regularly switching between Golden State's perimeter scorers, the Grizzlies have been able to apply consistent pressure around the key in a way few other teams can muster. Thompson is used to seeing all sorts of open opportunities throughout a game given the fluid, dynamic offense Steve Kerr has installed, but he's not seeing those chances against Memphis."
It's a small-sample size, but Thompson is shooting just 27.3 percent from behind the three-point line in round two. He isn't getting to the free-throw line (just one free-throw attempt in two games), either.
Thompson scored 18 points in Game 1. That's nice. But the Warriors clearly need more from their second All-Star if they plan on taking down the Grizzlies and advancing to the Western Conference Finals.
(h/t: SB Nation)
Photo Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
