Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson underwent successful surgery Wednesday to address his torn Achilles tendon, the team announced, and is expected to make a full recovery. Thompson suffered the injury last week during an open run, and has been ruled out for the entire 2020-21 NBA season, the Warriors announced.
Thompson, who missed the entire 2019-20 season after tearing the ACL in his left knee in June 2019 during the NBA Finals, was set to return and play in his first NBA game in 18 months when the season begins in December. Now, obviously, the wait continues until the 2021-22 season.
Prior to the torn ACL, Thompson was one of the NBA's most reliably durable players. He never missed more than nine games in a season before the 2019-20 campaign. But a torn ACL is among the most serious injuries a basketball player can suffer, and while medical advancements have made it far more manageable in recent years, major knee injuries often lead to further issues as players overcompensate in adjustment.
The Warriors have the tools to survive a prolonged absence from Thompson. Stephen Curry is expected to return at full strength when the season begins. Draymond Green is healthy and in place. The Warriors got Andrew Wiggins at the trade deadline, and as of this writing, selected James Wiseman with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. Their taxpayer mid-level exception and the $17 million trade exception generated through the Andre Iguodala trade can be used to add talent.
But the Warriors had hoped to launch themselves back into championship contention behind the trio of Curry, Green and Thompson. If Klay is not healthy enough to contribute in the playoffs, Golden State simply isn't a championship contender. They'll have to hope that this injury isn't severe enough to compromise his postseason.