Klay Thompson is the son of Mychal Thompson, the first overall pick in the 1978 NBA draft. Mychal averaged 14ppg in 14 NBA seasons. Klay has a chance to be as good as his father, but he certainly will not go 1st in the 2011 NBA draft.
Thompson is a first rounder with an outside chance to be selected in the lottery. Klay does something really well that most basketball players never learn. He attacks the rim every chance he gets. He’s not an above the rim player, but he has enough speed and height to take his man off the dribble and finish at the hoop.
Thompson also shoots the rock very well. He hits just under 50% from within the arc and just under 40% from outside the arc. He has a quick release, but does not have an increadibly fluid shot.
NBA Ready Skills:
- Can create his own shot
- Attacks the rim
- Handle
- Length
Weaknesses:
- Speed
- Athleticism
NBA Comparison:
- Tayshaun Prince
The problem with players who score and finish really well in college, but don’t measure out at the combine is that they can often not score and finish in the NBA. This is what happened to Evan Turner. He scored his points in college below the rim but just couldn’t be as productive in the NBA. Maybe he’ll adjust. Maybe he won’t. Klay Thompson has the same problem. A shooting guard who makes his living scoring interior buckets will have problems in the NBA with a 30” vertical.
Klay Thompson is a really aggressive player. I think he will be average in the NBA just with his shooting and handle. If he learns how to finish in the NBA while playing below the rim, he could turn into a Tayshaun Prince. If he doesn’t, he will be a role player for about 4-5 years. I’d rather take a chance on an aggressive player with a good handle than a pure shooter in the draft, so someone should pick Thompson in the 10-20 range of the NBA draft.
