#6 Klay Thompson – Golden State Warriors
2018-19 Stats*: 21.5 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 2.4 APG, 1.1 STL, 46.7 FG%, 40.2 3P%
Since we just mentioned the 2019 NBA Finals before, we might as well keep talking about this series between the Raptors and Warriors pertaining to Klay Thompson!
The 5x All-Star shooting guard has not played in an NBA game since suffering a torn left ACL in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals not just because of this knee injury, but because he also suffered a torn right Achilles tendon while rehabbing last offseason.
When healthy, Thompson is one of the most electric shooters in the entire league and he currently ranks 20th on the All-Time Three-Pointers Made list, but will he be the same player he was in 2019 when he takes the court during the 2021-22 season?
This is the “million-dollar question,” but everyone in the Warriors’ organization, including Klay Thompson himself, believes that he will be better when he returns than he was before these injuries.
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If Klay says he is good to go and feels better than he did prior to these significant injuries, I am going to believe him because he is a potential Hall-of-Fame player.
Thompson is expected to make his grand return on Christmas Day when the Warriors travel to Phoenix to take on the Suns, but when he returns, we should expect Klay Thompson to be the same high-level scoring guard he was a couple of years ago, thus making the Golden State Warriors a real title threat once again.
#5 CJ McCollum – Portland Trail Blazers
2020-21 Stats: 23.1 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 4.7 APG, 0.9 STL, 45.8 FG%, 40.2 3P%
Call him the “Robin” to Damian Lillard’s “Batman” if you would like, but CJ McCollum is a terrific player in his own right.
The now 30-year-old shooting guard has been involved in some trade rumors pertaining to Ben Simmons over the last few months, but he and Lillard both are staying in Portland for now and looking to take this team back to the Western Conference Finals, where they got swept by the Golden State Warriors in 2019.
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McCollum missed a handful of games last season due to a foot fracture, but before this injury, the veteran shooting guard was putting up All-Star-like numbers. How 23.1 points per game and 4.7 assists per game were all career-highs last season and he shot over 40% from deep (min. 400 attempts) for the third time in his career.
If the Trail Blazers are going to improve from a season ago and possibly contend in the Western Conference like Damian Lillard would like, then CJ McCollum will once again have to be great offensively. He could realistically put up All-Star-like numbers once again and if he does, Portland will once again have the best backcourt duo in the league.
