Klay Thompson has struggled throughout the 2012-2013 season. Now with the Golden State Warriors holding to the sixth spot in the western conference and three games out of the fifth spot does this mean it’s time for head coach Mark Jackson to temporarily insert Jarrett Jack into the starting lineup?
The two point guards have played together extremely well together and get used interchangeably at the guard position. It allows for Jackson to split minutes between Thompson, Harrison Barnes and Richard Jefferson at small forward and it sends the message that minutes must get earned.
Over the last 10 days for Klay he has shot 39.2 percent, 32 percent from beyond the arc, 73.3 percent from the free throw line while averaging 14.3 points, 4 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.1 steals. Barnes in that time frame hasn’t played particular well either averaging 7.6 points, 2.5 rebounds, .9 assists, on 39.7 percent shooting, 41.2 percent from the three-point line and 73.1 percent from the free throw line.
Jack on the other hand has played extremely well averaging 17.9 points, 6.3 assists and 2.5 rebounds on 43.3 percent shooting, 47.7 percent from beyond the arc and 92.3 percent from the free throw line. He also came up big in the Warriors win over the San Antonio Spurs when he scored a season high 30 points and dished out 10 assists.
That was the first time since 1996 a player that came off the bench scored at least 30 points and had 10 or more assists as Magic Johnson was the last to carry out the feat.
Also, Jackson stated during at the time of the most recent six game losing streak that players will start earning minutes and he has yet to put that into practice and now it can start with Thompson and Barnes, which is a definitive need especially with a chance to earn at least the fifth spot.