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The Golden State Warriors’ once-durable star player has experienced another injury. The team confirmed that Klay Thompson injured his leg during a workout on Wednesday in Southern California.
The Warriors did not say which leg Thompson hurt, but ESPN reported that Thompson injured his right leg. That is a notable distinction since Thompson injured his ACL in his left knee in a decisive Game 6 loss of the 2019 NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors, an injury that sidelined him for the entire 2019-20 season.
“No other details are available at this time,” the Warriors said in a statement. “We will provide further updates as appropriate.”
It remains unclear if the initial news will affect what the Warriors do with their No. 2 pick for the NBA draft. The Warriors have been expected to select Memphis center James Wiseman, but guards Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball also are projected to be drafted somewhere in the top three.
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Before Thompson injured his left ACL in 2019, he avoided major injuries. He had played in 615 out of a possible 640 regular-season games in his eight-year NBA career. He also appeared in all 120 playoff games until sitting out against the Raptors in Game 3 because of left hamstring tightness. Thompson then played in the next three games before tearing his ACL in Game 6 after Danny Green fouled him on a dunk attempt late in the third quarter. After Thompson walked with help to the locker room, he returned to the court on his own and made two foul shots before exiting the game.
The severity of Thompson’s injury will largely impact whether the Warriors can return to NBA championship or playoff contention a season after finishing with the league’s worst record (15-50) because of injuries to Thompson and Stephen Curry, as well as departures by Kevin Durant, Andre Igudoala and Shaun Livingston.
After the Warriors selected Thompson with the No. 11 pick in the 2011 NBA draft, he won three NBA championships, became a five-time All-Star, set numerous shooting records and cemented himself as one of the league’s best two-way players.
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