General Manager of the Golden State Warriors Bob Myers stated Klay Thompson might not return immediately next season. The Warriors season ended abruptly on Friday night. They lost to the Memphis Grizzlies in a win or go-home play-in game. The Warriors were expected to be contenders this year before training camps. During the Warriors preseason training, Klay Thompson suffered a torn Achilles tendon which kept him out this entire season.
Steph’s phenomenal play kept the Warriors afloat, but Warriors fans will be looking to get back into real contention next year. A big variable is when Klay Thompson will return next season.
Warriors GM Bob Myers had his exit interview on May 24th and touched on this topic. He mentioned that an opening night return for Klay isn’t a likely scenario.
This shouldn’t come as a huge surprise to fans. For an injury as serious as an Achilles tear, the timeline for recovery is roughly a year. This would put Klay Thompson’s return somewhere in November or December. An official start date for next season is yet to be announced, but it sounds like the most probable option is returning to the normal mid-October start. If this is the case, Klay more than likely wouldn’t be ready to start the season when it commences.
It sounds like a return one or two months into the season is most likely. That would give Klay roughly a year of recovery time before making his debut.
There are a few other things to consider. First of all, Klay Thompson hasn’t played NBA basketball since the 2019 NBA Finals when he tore his ACL. He didn’t make a return between that injury and his recent Achilles tear, which could prompt the Warriors organization to lengthen his recovery period. As a result, Klay’s return could come even further down the line next season.
John Wall and Kevin Durant both recently tore their Achilles as well. They both benefited from a lengthened recovery period due to the NBA bubble and a later start to this current season. Those two players both got nearly one and a half years of recovery time because of those circumstances. This year’s returns have been impressive, especially considering the past cases of players returning from Achilles tears.
This could also factor into the Warriors’ decision surrounding Klay’s return. No specific date has been set as of now, but Bob Myers stressed that fans shouldn’t expect a return on opening night.
