Klay Thompson is attracting a lot of criticism this season. It’s because he is having one of his, if not the worst campaigns in his entire career.

The sharpshooter is shooting a career-worst from three and has failed to hold his place as an integral scorer for the Golden State Warriors.

It led to his ultimate benching, the first time since 2012 that he wasn’t starting a game. However, his recent slump has made people forget what prime Thompson was like.

In terms of shooting, he was rivaling Stephen Curry and Harden, dare we say even being better than them.

Prior to his two major injuries, an ACL tear and an Achilles Tendon tear, Thompson was a fierce two-way star for the Warriors. His shot was elegant.

Time stopped when he shot the ball. His development into a sharpshooting wing would lay the foundation for the dynasty that the Warriors would become.

During the latest episode of the Roommates Show, Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart revisited those times. A period of prime Klay and they described just how dangerous he was when he got into the zone.

Klay Thompson was better than Stephen Curry, Durant and Harden

During the All-Star weekend, we saw an unprecedented event. Sabrina Ionescu, a WNBA star facing off against Stephen Curry, the greatest shooter known to mankind.

She would only lose the heart-throbbing contest by three points. Ionescu earned the respect since she pushed the limits and became a pioneer for women’s basketball.

It also teased a future competition, one between pairs. Ionescu and Caitlin Clark, the NCAAW’s all-time highest scorer against the Splash Brothers duo.

Brunson and Hart discussed what it would look like and predicted the ultimate victors. And even though Thompson has suffered a decline this season, they believed he would edge out Clark if it came to shooting war. They also dwelled into the past and spoke about the horrors of guarding Klay Thompson when he was ‘hot’.

“At one point, before Klay had his injuries, Klay’s hot might have been one of the hottest hots in the league,” Hart said with a strong conviction behind his words.

Initially, he felt it was a wild take. However, Brunson assured him it was just a hard fact. They did account for James Harden, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant. Yet even with those names on the floor, Hart could only relive the time he had to face a hot Thompson who as he remembers dropped 25 points on them in one quarter.

“It was a nightmare trying to guard him,” said Hart.

Prior to injuries, Klay Thompson’s presence was profound enough that defenses had prioritized their coverage on him. The Warriors shooting guard was knocking down 40% of his shots and averaging close to 20 with both Curry and Durant. And when he hit multiple shots in a row, it was time for carnage.

When Klay Thompson entered that realm he was almost unstoppable. It was going to be a long night for any defense in the league if he got into his rhythm. There was a magical fluidity in his jump shot. Each time the ball rolled off his fingers, it looked perfectly aligned and dropped with the swish sound circling the arena.

It was either going to be the hottest quarter, like him dropping 37 or it was going to be a performance similar to his 60 points on just 11 dribbles. It was a unique shooting masterclass because Thompson didn’t need to create space or dribble. He simply needed the ball in his hand. It was so lethal that the Warriors would ignore Stephen Curry and KD and hunt for Thompson because they knew he wouldn’t miss.

He might be having an upsetting season. But as they say, shooters will always shoot. Even with his egregious numbers, all it will take is one moment in a vital game for Klay Thompson to unleash. When he does, only he can stop himself.