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| Team: Washington State, Sophomore |
| Physicals | Positions | Rankings | Misc |
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H: 6' 6"
W: 187 lbs
Bday: 02/08/1990
(19 Years Old)
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Current: SG/SF
NBA: SG/SF
Possible: SG/SF
| Rank 41 in NCAA Sophomores
Rank 93 in Top 100 Prospects
RSCI: 61
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High School: Santa Margarita Catholic HS
Hometown: Ladera Ranch, Calif.
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| Basic Per Game Statistics - Comprehensive Stats - Statistical Top 25s |
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| Top NBA Draft Prospects in the Pac-10 (Part One: #1-5)
September 12, 2009
Scott Nadler
The son of former NBA number one draft pick Mychal Thompson, Klay Thompson is quietly writing his own history after a stellar 2008/09 freshman campaign. The slender 6-6 wing established himself as one of the top 3 point shooters in the Pac-10 last season, earning him All-Freshman team honors. After a solid summer as a key contributor on the USA U-19 Gold Medal winning team in New Zealand, expectations are high for Thompson to lead the young Cougars back to the NCAA tournament.
Thompson was able to make a name for himself on the offensive end despite playing for one of the slowest paced teams in the country under former coach Tony Bennett, who has since moved on to UVA. With the more offensive minded Ken Bone coming to WSU, more scoring opportunities is sure to come for Thompson. In stark contrast to Bennett’s style, Bone’s Portland State Vikings averaged 73.4 PPG on 67.4 possessions last season, as opposed to Bennett’s team’s 59.2 PPG on 59.6 possessions.
With the added possessions this season, Thompson will have more chances to show off his effortless shooting stroke and deep range. Nearly half of his shots last year came from behind the arc (5 attempts per game) and he capitalized on those attempts 41.2% of the time. His offensive game mainly consists of spot up jumpers and coming off screens (28%) – utilizing his quick release and great ability to move without the ball to get good looks. His high basketball IQ is easy to see when watching how he uses screens, as he almost always makes the correct read.
Thompson has the potential to be more than just a shooter, but must expand his game in order for his natural scoring instincts to come through. He averaged 17.0 points per 40 pace adjusted with 80% of his production coming from the jump shot variety. He shoots 90% from the foul line but on less than one attempt per contest –a result of his slight build and below-average athleticism, which also contributes to his poor ability to finish around the basket. Assuming he can develop more of an attacking mindset, it’s not out of the question to see Thompson become close to a 20 point a game scorer sometime in the near future. Thompson will also benefit himself by improving his ability to drive both ways, resorting to his left hand 78% of the time a season ago.
In addition, he must develop his ball-handling skills overall. He dribbles very close to his feet, which suggests a lack of confidence to extend the ball out in order to beat his defender. He displays below-average quickness, but because of his adept shooting, he should be able to get past his man. Presently he’s allowing the ball to slow him down by taking more dribbles than necessary to get to the rim.
His assist to turnover ratio is .89, which is average and could be improved. He did bring the ball up the court occasionally, playing under control and making the right plays most of the time, showing his excellent feel for the game. With that said, Thompson does have a tendency to get a little careless on occasion by jumping to make a pass or driving into traffic unnecessarily, but nothing you wouldn’t expect from a freshman.
On the defensive end, Thompson’s efforts were inconsistent this past season. He plays in spurts, looking active and playing disciplined on one possession and then going for steals and jumping on ball fakes on the next possession. The majority of the time, he plays standing straight up as opposed to staying low and alert. As a result, he’s often late on rotations or close outs. To go along with that, as good as he is at using screens on the offensive end, he struggles fighting through them on the defensive side of the ball. Savvy offensive players exploited his lack of positioning and ran him off screens on a nightly basis. His shot contests were also rather weak, failing to use his highest reach to distract defenders from time to time.
The Cougars go into this season with only one senior and all freshmen and sophomores, which will allow Thompson to show his skills as a leader and become the face of Washington State. With added strength, an aggressive state of mind, and learning how to adapt to a more potent offense, it’s not unlikely for Klay to mold himself into an all Pac-10 performer this year. Not possessing the world’s greatest upside, he’ll have to polish up his all-around game before he can start seriously thinking about the NBA.
 [Read Full Article]
USA Basketball Junior National Teams Tryouts: Top Performers
June 20, 2009
Washington State’s Klay Thompson clearly wasn’t one of the most productive freshmen in the Pac-10 for nothing this year, as he showed here throughout the week with his steady and heady play on both ends of the floor. Thompson is an excellent shooter with a very good feel for the game, showing strong fundamentals and a nice understanding for how to move off the ball and use shot-fakes to get his shot off. He probably isn’t athletic enough to be considered a great NBA prospect, but is still a guy teams will need to look at considering how productive he’s likely to become by the time he’s done at Washington State.
[Read Full Article]
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