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In July, Klay Thompson wasn't sure if he was going to be with the Warriors this season.
For weeks, he was rumored to be on the trading block.
Ultimately, Golden State elected not to ship the 24-year old to Minnesota, and signed Thompson to a four-year extension in late October.
Through 26 games, the Warriors look like they made a wise decision.
Despite not playing in the fourth quarter, the Washington State product scored a game-high 25 points in the Warriors' 128-108 win over the Kings on Monday night.
Thompson, in his fourth NBA season, is averaging career highs in points (21.7), assists (3.4), steals (1.2), blocks (0.9), field-goal percentage (45.8), 3-point percentage (44.1) and three throw percentage (87.8).
Does Thompson feel like people were overlooking his potential?
"Absolutely. One hundred percent," Thompson told ESPN's Ethan Sherwood Strauss last Friday. "I knew I had the ability. Because I honestly think my ballhandling and my plays out of the pick-and-roll ...
"I did it a lot better than people give me credit for. But you look at my numbers on a face value and, 'Oh, he only averaged two assists a game.' But this year I'll be able to be in the pick-and-roll a lot more. I think people underestimate my first step too. I think I might not be the best vertical athlete, but I think I'm quicker than people give me credit for.
"That was the biggest knock on me coming out of college. 'Oh, is he athletic enough to succeed on the next level?' I knew I was, but I knew it was going to take time and I looked at my stats and every year they got incrementally better."
Kevin Love, the three-time All-Star who the Warriors were contemplating trading Thompson for, is averaging just 16.8 points per game in Cleveland.
He averaged 26.1 points per contest last season in Minnesota.
Does Thompson feel like he validated Golden State's decision to keep him?
"I won't be politically correct," Thompson said. "Shoot, I knew. If I got traded I was like, 'Oh, well. I'ma prove 'em wrong.' That's my attitude. I knew how good we could be, man. Why would you want to mess up the best backcourt in the league?
"We got great chemistry. I mean, we didn't have Andrew Bogut last year and we took a great Clippers team to seven games. So I was like, 'We're right there, we just need a little more.' And the additions we had? I was like, 'No, we better not mess this up.'
"So I don't think I validated it yet. I think it's still early, we're only 25 games in. I'm excited, we had a great start. I knew my worth. I knew I could be one of the best 2-guards in the league. I'm not going to be bashful about it anymore."
