Thompson has been out of action since suffering a knee injury during last season's NBA Finals
Wednesday 15 January 2020 14:32, UK
Patience is key for Klay Thompson as he continues his recovery from an ACL tear that has sidelined him for the entire season so far.
The Golden State Warriors guard underwent surgery in July on the knee injury that he sustained in Game Six of last season's NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors.
Both he and the Warriors have approached the issue with caution in a bid to avoid re-aggravating or worsening the problem upon his eventual return to the floor.
Thompson was court-side on Tuesday night as the Warriors lost their ninth-straight game in a 124-97 defeat to the Dallas Mavericks.
"It's going great," Thompson said of his recovery while speaking to the media on Tuesday.
"Obviously, I wish I could be out there. It's been a long process. I haven't stopped working since the third day after Game Six of the 2019 Finals.
"You might not see me a lot, but I'm working. I don't know what's going to come this season, I would love to get out there."
The Warriors, who have been champions in three of the last five years, currently hold the worst record at 9-33 having not won since beating the Phoenix Suns 105-96 in December.
In Thompson they are without a key asset that finished last season with 655 field goals, including a sixth-most 241 three-pointers.
He added: "I appreciate the Warrior fans showing up every night in Chase, just a testament to the fan base we have. They know it's been a tough season, but they know the future's bright - so it's actually nice to be here.
"It's very rare for me not to be grinding through it with them, but I'm trying to make sure this type of injury never happens to me again, so I'll be very patient because I want to play at a high level 'til my late 30s."
Stephen Curry has been another major absentee having been unavailable since breaking his left hand in the fourth game of the season.
Both he and Thompson are now being re-integrated with their struggling team-mates, perhaps more in view of injecting some much-needed morale rather than closing in on a return to action.
Head coach Steve Kerr explained: "More than anything it just feels good to see [Thompson] out there. And for him to feel it, like he's actually closer.
"Even though he's still a ways from being out on the floor, he's so far along now compared to when this first started. So he's pretty far down the path, so I think he's starting to feel that.
"He's on the court a lot more, and I'm asking him to be around our team a lot more. Both Steph [Curry] and Klay I've talked to about starting to be engaged and involved with the group."
