Last night, the Warriors played their final game before the all-star break. It was on the road vs. the Utah Jazz. For that contest, head coach Stever Kerr decided to switch up the starting lineup once again. For the first time since his rookie season, Klay Thompson came off the bench for the Warriors. 

It was a move that the 34-year-old had to embrace and he did an excellent job in being a team player. When Thompson was told he’d be coming off the bench, he thought of Spurs legend Manu Ginobili. The Hall of Famer came off the bench for nearly his entire career and is an all-time great. That helped Thompson stay in the right mindset to come off the bench and still contribute in a big way.

Klay Thompson came off the bench last night for the first time since his rookie season

Klay Thompson came off the bench and made a big-time impact tonight

35 PTS | 6 REB | 7 3PM pic.twitter.com/mILnbVbyP3

— NBA (@NBA) February 16, 2024

Against the Jazz on Thursday night, Klay Thompson had an expensive offensive performance off the bench. The five-time all-star had 35 points and went 7-13 from beyond the arc. It was just his third 30+ point game of the 2023-24 season. Golden State won the game 140-137 and they are 27-26 heading into the all-star break. After his season-high 35 points, Thompson told reporters what helped keep him in the right mindset.

Thompson thought of the carrier of San Antonio’s Manu Ginobili who played off the bench for nearly his entire career. He played in 1,057 career games and made 349 starts. Ginobili won four titles with the Spurs and even has a gold medal from the Olympics. The Warriors’ SG referred to Ginobili as one of the greats. That helped Thompson embrace coming off the bench for the first time in 12 seasons.

Klay Thompson On Coming Off Bench: I Thought About Manu Ginobili https://t.co/PyefnEIvtr

— RealGM (@RealGM) February 16, 2024

The veteran SG also realized that he would still be able to play his season average of minutes per game even coming off the bench. Thompson was a true team player and did not cause a stir. That’s how a professional handles these kinds of situations. We’ll have to wait and see until after the all-star break if this is a permanent lineup change for the Warriors. Or will Klay Thompson get his chance to be a starter again