Heat Nightly
The Biscayne Brief · Player focus

Klay Thompson Has To Earn Minutes, Not Just Shots

At 36 and on an expiring deal, volume alone won't keep Thompson on the floor.

-4.7Net rating last season
By the Heat Nightly Desk · Thursday, October 15

Klay Thompson logged 69 games last season at 21.7 minutes, firing 7.6 threes a night for a 38.3 percent clip and 11.7 points, but his -4.7 net rating was the worst mark tied to his role. He closed Tuesday's 144-128 win over the Nets with 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting in 23 minutes, and little else on the stat sheet.

Klay Thompson of the Heat
Klay Thompson. Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/neontommy/, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

The Shot Diet

Thompson's game is still built on volume. He attempted 7.6 threes a night last season in only 21.7 minutes, a workload that produced 11.7 points on 39.3 percent shooting from the field and 38.3 percent from deep. Usage sat at 21.4 percent, heavy for his minutes, with a 54.1 true shooting mark that is respectable but not special for someone taking that many threes.

Net Negative

The number that matters is -4.7, Thompson's net rating last season. A defensive rating of 111.0 against an offensive rating of 106.3 means the Heat lost ground with him on the floor, shot volume or not. At 36, in his 15th season, that gap is the one Spoelstra has to manage, not excuse.

Tuesday's Line

Against the Nets he started, closed, and finished with 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting, 2-of-7 from three, in 23 minutes. No rebounds, no assists, no steals, one block, two turnovers, plus-minus of zero. He was still on the floor at the final buzzer of a 144-128 result, which says more about trust than production.

The Money

Thompson is playing this season for $17.5M, with a $5.9M player option for 2027-28 attached. That is a starter's price for a role that, on last season's numbers, did not produce like one.

The Verdict

He is not listed on the injury report, and he is not short on opportunity. What Thompson has not shown is that the volume and the production line up. This season needs to close that gap, or the minutes should follow the numbers down.

Is Klay Thompson injured for the Heat?

No. Thompson is not on the Heat's injury report heading into the preseason finale at Orlando.

What is Klay Thompson's contract with the Heat?

Thompson is playing this season for $17.5M, with a $5.9M player option for 2027-28.

By the Heat Nightly Desk, written from the club's data and the reports on file, with every name and number checked against them. How the desks work.

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