KEY POINTS

  • Klay Thompson is progressing well and will start participating in controlled drills
  • James Wiseman is cleared for individual shooting and other on-court activities
  • Steve Kerr is expected to be cautious in fielding Thompson on the court

The Golden State Warriors continue to fill their roster for the coming NBA season with several players trying out for a spot.

However, the good news is that two injured players are reportedly making good progress and appear on course to suit up for the 2021-22 wars.

Klay Thompson, who missed the last two seasons, is expected to participate in various controlled drills during training camp, according to an announcement by the Golden State Warriors in a statement on Monday, September 20.

The All-Star guard suffered an ACL injury during the 2019 NBA Finals and then tore his right Achilles during a workout nearly a year later.

 Klay Thompson Golden State Warriors
Injured Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors reacts on the bench after the Warriors made a basket against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Chase Center on Nov. 25, 2019, in San Francisco. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Aside from the 31-year-old guard, incoming sophomore James Wiseman is reportedly on the road to recovery.

The 20-year-old is set to participate in individual shooting and other individual on-court activities during training camp in the same statement by the Dubs.

Wiseman underwent surgery in April to repair a torn meniscus.

The second overall pick of the 2020 NBA Draft played in only 39 games last season, where he normed 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds.

The development should be good for Warriors fans who are aching to see their team get back on track.

But of the two, all eyes will be on Thompson who has been sorely missing for head coach Steve Kerr.

Without Thompson, Stephen Curry and Draymond Green were tasked to keep the Dubs’ campaign afloat for the past two seasons.

The best they got was the NBA playoffs last season when they made the play-in tournament.

Golden State made a good account of itself against the Los Angeles Lakers but lost that important match.

Without Thompson, the Warriors are missing someone who not only defends swell but provides heavy scoring.

The five-time All-Star owns career averages of 19.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.3 assists.

Thompson also owns a 45.9% field goal shooting clip and 41.9% from beyond the arc. He is entering the third year of his five-year, $189.9 million contract.

Considering the injuries he went through, Kerr is likely to employ a cautious approach when fielding Thompson once he is fully cleared to play.

It remains to be seen how much time the three-time NBA champion can recall his old form.

As for Wiseman, he will try to improve on his impressive performance last NBA season. He has shown promise, but the 7-foot-1 cager still needs a lot of polishing.

James Wiseman
Head coach Steve Kerr speaks to James Wiseman #33 of the Golden State Warriors Getty Images | Ezra Shaw