We all saw what Klay Thompson did the other night. Insane, right!? Klay set the NBA record with 14 threes in a single game, claiming the title from his very own Splash Brother Stephen Curry who previously held it with 13. This is even more impressive if we take into consideration that he did it in 26 minutes and 33 seconds.
But what does that mean from a fantasy perspective? Should we trust him to keep shooting like this, or at least half as good? Should we be afraid of the fact he only hit 5 threes in seven games before the magic one? Perhaps settle for a more consistent player?
We are taking a closer look into Klay's outlook for the rest of the season in our Sell High and Buy Low article for Week 3 of the NBA season, right here at RotoBaller.
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Buying or Selling on Klay Thompson?
For those of you who read this column last week, you might recall us recommending to buy low on Klay. If you made the right decision and perhaps had a bit of luck to pull a deal off, congratulations. It's already clear it was a good move.
If you were unable to take advantage of the opportunity, the obvious buy-low window was just slammed shut.
Klay's record night
In case anyone missed it, as mentioned in the introduction, Klay broke the record for most threes in an NBA game with 14, and he did it with style scoring 52 points on 18-of-29 shooting (14-of-24 from three), 2-of-2 from the line, adding five boards and a steal with two turnovers in just over 26 minutes in a 149-124 thrashing of the Chicago Bulls. We're talking about a legendary night here guys!
To put things into perspective, my opponent in Week 1 hit 21 threes for the whole week. And it's not like he's punting 3-pointers with guys like Otto Porter, Karl-Anthony Towns and Jamal Murray on his roster. Now to be fair, it's a 20 team league, daily lineup with seven starter spots and his main shooters had a poor shooting week. But still, Klay got 2/3 of that entire team's weekly production from downtown in 26 and a half minutes. That's some rare talent!
Klay Owners - Unite!
After suffering through his awful shooting in the first seven games of the season where he hit only five threes combined, connected on just 39.6% of his field goals and averaged 15.1 points, Klay's owners' patience has been rewarded heavily.
And now the inevitable question creeps up on even the most loyal, or on the other hand, most non-trusting Klay owners. What to do with him after this performance?
So, what are your options?
1. Believe that Thompson will be more of his last night self than the guy who's been missing in bunches from the beginning of the season.
2. Use this once-in-a-lifetime performance to find a horny owner who will take a trade based on this last game alone
I hope the artistic genius will allow me to use and slightly moderate his lyrics to make a point here as it fits so well:
Yes, there are two paths you can go by
But in the long run
Now's the time to choose the road you're on
So, to Splash or not to Splash?
I wouldn't mind getting wet from head to toe. I hope this doesn't sound as dirty as it did for a second in my head. But even if it does, last night, I must admit, Klay did make me a little wet.
Kidding aside, as I mentioned last week, the only thing really missing from his game in the first seven games was the shooting. And that is his best feature and has been so for years, so there was no doubt in my mind that it will come back. And boy did it!
Therefore, I'm pretty much in it with Klay for the long run. I believe he will finish this season as a top-30 player easy. The reason you drafted him in the first place is probably his contribution in threes with great percentages and you won't get that kind of value there from any other player in his value range.
Of course, should a ridiculous offer come your way like Paul George or Kyrie Irving, I wouldn't blame you if you pulled the trigger. I would probably do so myself. But since such an opportunity is quite improbable, I am preaching keeping.
On the other hand, if you don't own Klay, as I mentioned a "traditional buy low window" might be closed, but his owner might still be looking to sell after a poor start, and finally has something to negotiate with, thinking that they're now selling high off his big game. So if you're looking to improve in Thompson's strong suits, an offer of one Marc Gasol, LaMarcus Aldridge or Jamal Murray might be enough for his owner to think he got his money's worth. And on the other hand, you run away with the player who just set the record for most three-pointers scored in a single game in NBA history.
Baller Move: Hold or buy