Warriors' Klay Thompson leaps over another mental block

In the 2019 NBA Finals, Thompson suffered a torn ACL in his left knee, which sidelined him for the 2019-20 season. Before the 2020-21 season, he suffered a torn right Achilles tendon that sidelined him for that season and beyond.

Last November, Thompson told the media that he didn't play much during the summer.

"It was hard to," he said, adding, "Especially what I went through the last summer I was healthy, popping my Achilles. It was really hard for me to get out there."

Thompson's lack of preparation before last season showed. Per StatMuse, in the first 15 games of the 2022-23 season, Thompson averaged 17.3 points and shot an abysmal 39.3 percent from the field and 37.9 from three. That's a dropoff from his career averages of 19.3/45.5/41.6. 

Now Thompson is back in the lab, working on his game and making sure he's in the best shape of his career. That's great news for the Warriors, who open the regular season at home against Phoenix on Oct. 24.