Warriors' Kerr says Klay out for season to recover from ACL injury

Golden State Warriors’ coach Steve Kerr announced today that star guard Klay Thompson will miss the 2019-2020 NBA season.

Thompson is recovering from an ACL injury to his left knee that occurred in Game 6 of the NBA Finals on June 13th. The normal expected time for one of these injuries is nine months after surgery. With Klay taking time before the surgery that gives him an expected return in April, which is playoff time. But Kerr says “realistically” Klay will most the whole season.

"It's unlikely that he's going to play this year," Kerr told NBC Sports Bay Area. "So we have to understand that. You have to look at it realistically. I had an ACL [tear] in college, and I missed a whole season. Generally, an ACL for a basketball player is a full-year recovery, and if it's a full year for Klay, that puts [him] out for the season."

Initially, Warriors GM Bob Myers said last month that the three-time champion would be out until at least the All-Star break. However, he later went back on those comments and said that the timetable would be a firm update on the injury rather than an expected date. Kerr was strong on his stance in protecting his player and being careful bringing him back. Thompson echoed these thoughts during the Warriors’ Media Day.

“The last thing you want to do is rush back, especially for a player like me who wants to play until he's in his late 30s," Thompson said. "I want to play at a high level until that point too. As much as it kills me not to be on the court, patience is a virtue, and rushing back would be not very smart."

Warriors have to be very careful handling this situation, especially after former Warriors Kevin Durant went down to an Achilles tear in the Finals after many thought he shouldn’t play. The Warriors were obviously guilt-ridden from the situation and the optics of it on such a national stage will play a part for athletes to come who suffer injuries.