Klay Thompson’s summer suddenly became that much more interesting, but for all the wrong reasons.
It was a potentially franchise-altering night for Thompson and the Golden State Warriors, whose dreams of pulling off an NBA championship three-peat vanished in the Toronto Raptors’ Game 6 win at Oracle Arena. Thompson largely carried the Warriors in the contest until he was forced to exit under the worst of circumstances.
A hard third-quarter drive to the basket by Thompson resulted in the star guard crashing to the floor and reportedly tearing his ACL in the process. The five-time All-Star somehow, some way managed to shoot the pair of free throws he garnered on the play before officially departing the game.
After tearing his ACL, Klay Thompson came back onto the court to hit two free throws 😳 pic.twitter.com/dyUEcpFm4R
— ESPN (@espn) June 14, 2019
It was two serious injuries in as many games for Golden State. Kevin Durant ruptured his Achilles in Game 5 and promptly underwent surgery Wednesday. Not only were Durant and Thompson vital to the Warriors’ success, they’re also poised to be two of the most coveted players on the open market this summer.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski projected the injuries’ potential impact on the Warriors.
Even if Warriors are able to keep Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant in free agency, it'll be a fight to reach playoffs in the Western Conference. Thompson's ACL rehab could take him into February or March — and Durant likely misses entire season. Devastating turn of events. https://t.co/xKXayv9p34
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 14, 2019
Thompson has been one of the league’s most durable superstars in recent years, as he’s played in at least 73 games in each of the past seven seasons. The 29-year-old, obviously, won’t come close to that number in the 2019-2020 campaign, but if Wojnarowski’s projected timeline is correct, Thompson will be available for the postseason when he typically plays his best basketball.
