Klay Thompson: Warriors still ‘desperately’ need Kevin Durant back

The Golden State Warriors’ win over the Houston Rockets on Friday night convinced some that they don’t need Kevin Durant, but you won’t be hearing that from inside the locker room.

Klay Thompson, who hit a key shot down the stretch to finish Houston off, said the Warriors “desperately” need Durant back for the remainder of the playoff run, calling him the team’s best player.

Klay Thompson on Durant: I’m happy we won so we can get some rest & get him healthy b/c if we’re going to get this 3-peat, we desperately need him back. He’s our best player, so we dearly miss him. We’ll hold it down while he’s out, but it’s not the same without him, far from it.

— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) May 11, 2019

There’s a case to be made that the Warriors don’t really need Durant to retain the title, but for whatever criticism there is of him out there, they are better off if they can turn to him. It’s unclear when they’ll get him back, but there is certainly a chance he could suit up for them in the Western Conference Finals.