In China, there is an old saying, "Oranges born in Huainan are oranges, while those born in Huaibei are oranges", which is also applicable in the NBA. Many stars will have ups and downs in different teams, so NBA managers will carefully consider whether the styles of the stars are suitable for their teams' football style before trading, so as to avoid damaging the chemical reaction after the transaction is completed.
But there is a star who has never changed teams since he entered the NBA from the draft, but every scout and manager thinks that he can shine wherever he goes. He is a versatile top 3D star that all teams in the league want. He is Clay Thompson of the Warriors.
From 211, when Clay Thompson first entered the league, the title of Best 3D has been with Clay.
a 3d player refers to a player who can not only shoot three points, but also defend, both of which are top-level. Up to now, Clay Thompson has never hit less than 4% of three points in a season in his career. Not only that, Clay is also a general on the defensive end, and he was selected as the best defensive second team. At the peak, Clay's lateral movement, arm span and excellent physical fitness can cover most of him.
In the era of small ball, every team is recruiting 3D players, and Clay, a genuine product of the best, naturally attracts the attention of all teams in the NBA all the time, but it's a pity that Clay always chose his Warriors, and never intended to test the free market. In the four-year and three-crown dynasty of Warriors, Clay Thompson played a huge role and was called the pillar of the dynasty, although the average data per game was not brilliant. However, his amazing scoring power has saved the Warriors many times, and his ability to contain the outside line has also benefited his teammate Stephen Curry a lot. After the Warriors lost Clay this season, Curry once struggled, which is the best evidence of Clay's strong containment.
Being able to play such a strong performance in the NBA is related to the basketball DNA that Clay Thompson inherited from his father.
Clay was born in a basketball family. His father, Michael Thompson, was the No.1 in the NBA draft in 1978. He played for Portland Trailblazers, San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers, and won two NBA championships in 1987 and 1988 (Show Time period). He averaged 29.7 minutes per game in his career, with 13.7 points and 7.4 rebounds. He was a proper player.
Under the influence of his father, Clay Thompson fell in love with playing basketball when he was a child, and soon showed his unparalleled talent. Under the careful guidance of his father, Clay's ball skills became more and more brilliant. In the third year of high school, Thompson was selected as the second best team in the district and the third best team in Orange County. In senior year, Thompson averaged 21 points per game, leading the team to the state third-level league championship with a record of 3 wins and 5 losses.
In the final of the state championship, Thompson showed unparalleled three-point ability, hit seven three-points to set a new record, and was elected as the player of the year in the state third-level league, the first team in the western region and the second team in EA Sports.
Being famous at a young age didn't make Thompson proud. After graduating from high school, he chose to join Washington State University, during which his three-point skills became more and more mature.
As a freshman, he played 33 games as a starter, averaging 12.5 points per game, ranking first in the team in three-point shooting rate and free throw shooting rate, and was selected as the best rookie team of the year in the 1 th district; In his sophomore year, Thompson continued to evolve, averaging 19.6 points per game, and was selected as the first team of the year in the top ten regions. In the Great Alaska Challenge, Thompson also showed his explosive scoring power, hitting a record 43 points and being elected as the most outstanding player. In his junior year, Thompson averaged 2 points, reaching 21.6, and in the 211 Top Ten Championship, he hit eight threes in a single game, knocking down 43 points, setting a championship scoring record.
In 211, Thompson chose to participate in the NBA draft.
Despite his outstanding performance in the university, Thompson's overall pick in the draft was not ideal, and he was selected by the Warriors in the 11th overall pick. Thompson specially chose the No.11 jersey to motivate himself. Later, he and Curry joined hands to start the era of small ball and became a dazzling star, surpassing the media's expectations and draft template (Thompson template Marco Berinelli).
In his first year in the NBA, that is, Thompson's rookie season, he showed the potential of an excellent shooter. Although the NBA was much more intense than the college game, it didn't affect Thompson's play at all. In the whole rookie season, Thompson played 66 games, including 29 starts, averaging 24.4 points, getting 12.5 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2 assists, shooting 41% from three points and shooting 1.5% per game.
In the 212-13 season, Thompson was obviously more valued by the Warriors. In 82 games played this season, Clay started all the games, averaging 35.8 minutes, contributing 16.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists, shooting 4% from three points, and making great achievements on the defensive end, averaging 1.5 steals per game.
Not only that, Thompson also started to shine on the stage of the playoffs. On May 9, 213, in the second game of the Western Conference playoffs semi-final, the Warriors played for 47 minutes and scored 34 points and 14 rebounds. For the first time in his career, Thompson got 3+1 double-double figures, and he also hit 8 three-pointers, which also set a new record for the Warriors to hit three-pointers in a single game in the playoffs.
Thompson, who became more confident, broke out completely when he entered the third season of his career. In the opening match of the 213-14 season, the Warriors played against the Lakers. Thompson played for 31 minutes and made 15 of 19 shots, including 5 of 7 three-pointers, and scored a career-high 38 points. In this season's game against the Pacers, Thompson finished the lore with .6 seconds left in the game, which was the first lore in his NBA career.
Thompson hit more than 5 three-pointers this season, becoming the first player in NBA history to hit 5 three-pointers in the first three seasons of his career. He can shoot 2.8 three-pointers per game throughout the season.
In the 214-15 season, Thompson, who got rid of his rookie status, received a four-year contract extension with the highest salary from the Warriors, and Thompson lived up to the Warriors' trust. His three-point shooting percentage reached a career high of 44%, and his average score reached 21.7 points. He also won three Western Conference Best, was selected as the All-Star in the West and was selected as the best third team of the season.
Moreover, Thompson's unparalleled scoring explosiveness began to show. On January 24th, 215, in the Warriors' game against Kings, Thompson made 13 of 13 shots in the third quarter, made 9 of 3-pointers, made 2 of 2 free throws, and scored 37 points in a single quarter, breaking the scoring record of 33 points in a single quarter created by Anthony and George Gwen. Thompson made a shot in the whole game.
This season, Thompson won the NBA championship for the first time. In this year's NBA finals, the Warriors defeated Cleveland Cavaliers 4-2 and won the O 'Brien Cup, which also kicked off the Warriors dynasty.
In the 215-16 season, Thompson continued the firepower of last season, averaging 22.1 points per game and keeping 43% three-point shooting rate. He made 1 three-pointers against the Pacers, scored 22 points against the Lakers in the first quarter, scored 1 three-pointers against the Mavericks, and was selected as an All-Star again, and scored 27 points in the final of the three-point contest.
This season, under the leadership of Curry and Thompson, the Warriors scored 73 wins and 9 losses in the regular season, creating the best regular season record in history.
In the playoffs, Thompson once again improved his state, averaging 24.2 points with 42% three-point shooting percentage, scoring 34 points in G2 against Rockets in the first round of the playoffs, making at least 7 three-pointers in three consecutive games against Trailblazers in the second round, and scoring 19 points in G4 against Thunder in the western conference finals.
in the western conference final G6, the Warriors were 2:3 behind the Thunder. At the moment of life and death, Thompson played a classic game. He made 11 of 18 three-pointers and scored 41 points, which helped the Warriors win the key battle and finally led the Warriors into the NBA finals. However, the Warriors were reversed by the Cavaliers in the final and lost the championship, which became a lifelong regret.
After a failed finals, the Warriors welcomed Kevin Durant in the new season and began a journey of revenge. In the 216-17 season, Thompson didn't lower his game scene at all because of Durant's joining. Throughout the season, he averaged 22.3 points per game, shooting 41% from three points and shooting 3.4 three points per game.
On December 6, 216, Thompson hung up again in the game against the Pacers. He scored 4 points in the first half, 6 points in the whole game, and made 21 of 33 shots. It took only 29 minutes to get 6 points, which was scary.
Thompson is obviously unstoppable. He was selected as an All-Star for the third time in his career. Not only in the regular season, Thompson delivered three-pointers stably and efficiently on the stage of the playoffs, and finally the Warriors won the NBA championship this season with a big score of 4:1 in the finals.
In the 217-18 season, the Warriors made persistent efforts to win the NBA championship again, thus creating the Warriors' dynasty. Thompson averaged 2 points per game in the regular season, with a three-point shooting percentage of 44%, and scored 19.6 points per game with a shooting percentage of 43% in the playoffs, which made great contributions to the Warriors' dynasty.
In the 218-19 season, Thompson was superb again.
On October 3, 218, the Warriors beat the Bulls 149-124 away. Thompson hit an unprecedented 14 threes in this game, setting a new record for the number of threes in a single game in the regular season of his career. Clay also set a new record for the number of three-point hits in an NBA game held by teammate Curry. This season, Thompson was re-elected as an All-Star and was selected as the second defensive team after the season. However, due to injury, the Warriors failed to win the championship in the finals this season.
On July 11th, 219, the Warriors officially announced that they would renew Thompson's contract with a maximum salary of $19 million for five years. Since then, Thompson has been injured and has been recovering.
Throughout Thompson's career, he is a 1% pure shooting guard and the best 3D player in the whole league. He has historical three-point shooting ability and defensive ability in the first gear of the league, and he also has historical containment ability. As long as he plays, even scoring will attract a lot of defensive resources. If we let our guard down on him, he may be blown up as the "king of output" in an instant.
In addition to his skill, Thompson is also talked about his personality. Among the Warriors, Clay is the one who talks the least. A famous warrior once described him as a beautiful, carefree and laid-back personality, which in our words is Buddhist. After he signed the contract with Anta, his closeness to the people has risen to a higher level, and he has attracted countless fans in China. Not only that, he is also a very conscientious spokesman, always carrying goods for the brand he speaks for.
Of course, although his personality is Buddhist, Thompson is very concerned about winning or losing. Thompson is always the one who fights the hardest on the court. He doesn't like losing, so he will try his best to compete, which is why he can keep improving.
Although he suffered from injury, Clay is still one of the most anticipated stars. Not long ago, he uploaded his three-point shooting recovery training, and his state is very excellent. I think we can see his magical three-point shooting and terrible scoring power again after he returns!
(small hidden in the wild)