Golden State will be without at least one "Splash Brother" for quite some time.
Warriors guard Klay Thompson will miss the entirety of the 2019-20 season following the first major injury of his career. Thompson had been the NBA's "Iron Man" prior to tearing his left ACL in the 2019 NBA Finals, playing in at least 73 regular season games in each of his past five All-Star seasons.
With Thompson out and Kevin Durant in Brooklyn, Golden State coach Steve Kerr will rely on Stephen Curry (whenever he recovers from his own injury), Draymond Green and trade deadline addition Andrew Wiggins to guide the struggling Warriors.
What's next for Thompson? Here's everything we know about his injury and the latest news on when he may return to the court.
LATEST INJURY NEWS: Stephen Curry | Kevin Durant
How long will Klay Thompson be out?
Thompson will not play the remainder of the 2019-20 season. The Warriors announced on Feb. 20 that Thompson is "on track with his rehabilitation timeline" and expected to return for the team's 2020-21 training camp.
Kerr added that Thompson could be available for Team USA assuming he makes the final roster for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
"It's not off the table," Kerr said. "It's still a possibility. We haven't really discussed it. I think the [Olympic] team meets in July, so it's still quite a ways away. But it's really not anything we're discussing at this point. It's still a possibility. ... Obviously his health is the No. 1 concern, and so we'll kind of cross that bridge when we come to it."
Steve Kerr said it’s still possible Klay Thompson competes in Olympics. He hasn’t seen Klay sprinting/jumping yet, but he will increasingly do more on the floor, behind the scenes, in upcoming weeks, as season nears an end. pic.twitter.com/DGJhFTzR8b
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 21, 2020
Klay Thompson injury timeline
It was another classic Game 6 performance from Thompson. The three-time NBA champion had an efficient 28 points (8-of-12 from the field, 4-of-6 on 3-pointers) through almost three quarters with the Warriors facing elimination against the Raptors.
Then, on a fast break with just over two minutes left in the third, Thompson crashed to the floor after a dunk attempt and immediately reached for his left knee. He was helped back to the locker room but then returned to the free throw line for his 29th and 30th points. The Warriors committed a foul to stop the clock and sub Thompson out of the game.
Thompson was later diagnosed with a torn ACL, but he initially believed he wouldn't sit for more than a few minutes.
"I knew I did something. But I've never had the severity of an ACL injury or an injury that bad," Thompson told ESPN's Cari Champion. "So me, personally, I didn't think it was that bad, initially. My adrenaline was so high being Game 6, whatever. I thought I sprained my knee; that's all I thought it was.
"But when I went back to the locker room, it swelled up a lot, didn't feel right. It's just not a good feeling when you feel helpless and the team's out there competing."
Despite the injury, the Warriors rewarded Thompson this past offseason with a five-year, $190 million max contract. Thompson will be cautious in his recovery because he wants to play for another decade.
"I've heard varying opinions about [the injury], especially medically, I don't want to rush it 'cause I want to play until I'm 38, 39, 40 years old," Thompson said.
Klay Thompson injury updates
— Klay Thompson ruled out for season, could play in 2020 Olympics
— Steve Kerr says "it's unlikely" Klay Thompson will play this season
— Klay Thompson won't return until after All-Star break, Warriors say
— Klay Thompson speaks on knee injury, motivation for season
