Despite the excitement of the NBA Draft Wednesday, news that Klay Thompson suffered a major lower leg injury put a damper on things.
The Golden State Warriors guard hurt his lower right leg in Southern California Wednesday while working out with several other NBA players. ESPN reported that Thompson felt pain in the calf area when he landed on his leg and reports suggested the injury could be severe.
Golden State is concerned it could possibly be an Achilles tendon injury. General manager Bob Myers said that Thompson would undergo an MRI exam Thursday morning to find out more.
With the No. 2 pick Wednesday night, the Warriors selected James Wiseman. The 7-foot-1 center was asked about the moment he learned of Thompson’s injury.
“As soon as I seen [the news], it was kind of down for me, like emotionally,” Wiseman told reporters. “But the team, we got his back no matter what, and he’s going to be in great recovery. And from my perspective, I just can’t wait to go in there and give my great contribution towards the team and just go in there and learn as much as possible.
“Just grow and adapt within that environment and just play my position. But all prayers be to Klay, my teammate, and he’s going to be just fine.”
Myers said head coach Steve Kerr and other members of the Warriors training staff are expected to fly out to Los Angeles to be there with Thompson when he gets his MRI.
“It’s one of those deals where you don’t really know until you know,” Myers told reporters during his media availability following the draft. “You can be hopeful; you can be concerned. I’m probably all those combined, and until we know more (Frazier), I’ll just hope for good news.”
Thompson’s injury is particularly harrowing considering he just overcame a season-ending ACL tear in his left knee, which he sustained in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals. He was sidelined for all of last season, and the team was optimistic he would come back at full strength for the 2020-21 season.
“Klay doesn’t like missing five minutes of anything,” Myers said. “He was probably bummed out he had to leave the pickup game. … I’m glad that our players reached out to him, and obviously, you’ve seen a lot of NBA players reach out to him and offer their thoughts.
“We’re just hoping that we hear something good, and until then, I’m going to try and keep his spirits up and support him and hear what we hear tomorrow and go from there.”