Klay Thompson doesn’t think he’s an All-Star

After blowtorching the Oklahoma City Thunder with 12 three-pointers, Klay Thompson was asked about whether he should be an All-Star. He said no, because the Golden State Warriors simply haven’t been good enough this year for multiple All-Stars.

Thompson’s slow start after a summer of no basketball hurts his overall statistics, but he’s been on a tear since the Warriors defeated the Memphis Grizzlies on Christmas Day. From December 25 on, Klay is averaging 26.5 points and making 44 percent of his threes, His defense and mobility have also improved, now that he’s a full two years out from his Achilles tear.

We expect Thompson to keep bombing away from deep - he took 18 Monday night, and he’s taken double-digit threes in 11 of the 16 games in his red-hot stretch. But we also believe he takes “showing up” very seriously. In the first game without Steph Curry, he made a statement early with a 4-5 first quarter. Game 6 Klay, meet February 6 Klay.

We have a theory to why Klay doesn’t mind not making the All-Star team this year. He’s often explained that swimming in the ocean fuels him. As he said after Game Five of the 2022 Finals, when Thompson hit five three-pointers, “I just think the ocean has healing properties that a pool might not have, or a cold tub. Just to be immersed in nature like that, it really makes me happy.”

Well, the All-Star Game is happening in Salt Lake City this year, and there’s no ocean in Utah. There’s just the Great Salt Lake, and no one swims in it. First of all, it stinks. It’s full of brine shrimp, flies, and mosquitos. It’s unpleasantly warm, it’s far saltier than the ocean, and you have to shower immediately or you’ll be covered in a salty crust.

Captain Klay would just as soon spend the weekend taking his boat out and dropping into the San Francisco Bay, no matter how cold it is. Maybe he will return to the All-Star Game someday, but unfortunately, the next one is in Indianapolis. Let’s hope the White River also has healing properties.