It was not unusual for Kevin Durant to take somewhere in the range of 20-25 shots per game with the Oklahoma City Thunder last year. Now that he has joined forces with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, many have wondered how there will be enough shots to go around with the Golden State Warriors next season.
Thompson does not seem concerned.
In a recent interview with Shams Charania of The Vertical, Thompson said he is tired of hearing how he will need to “sacrifice” in order to let Durant do his thing.
“I feel kind of disrespected that people keep using the term sacrifice to describe me and describe us,” he said. “We all want to see each other do well. But I’m not sacrificing [expletive], because my game isn’t changing. I’m still going to try to get buckets, hit shots, come off screens. I want to win and have a fun time every game we play.”
What the Warriors will need to do is master the art of riding the hot hand. Thompson, Durant and Curry are all tremendous outside shooters, but they can’t all take 20 shots and 10-plus three-pointers per game. To an extent, Curry and Thompson are already used to the hot hand formula from playing alongside one another. Will it get more complicated with Durant in the mix?
“We want Klay to stay Klay,” Durant told Charania. “We don’t want him to change. The games dictate where the shots come from. I may shoot 12 shots one night; Klay may shoot eight or nine shots one night, and Steph may shoot 25 shots one night. And it could be a different flow another night.”
One of the main reasons Durant chose the Warriors is he likes the way they share the ball. Despite what one playoff-contending team may believe, it’s safe to assume Golden State is prepared to have all three of its studs work together, not compete with one another. Time will tell if that plan translates into NBA dominance.
