Expert Knee Doctor Gives Bad News About Klay Thompson’s Injury

The Golden State Warriors will start their regular season without Klay Thompson. He suffered a terrible knee injury during the 2019 NBA Finals. Thompson is positive about his return, however, this knee specialist has something else to say about it.

“Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors says he would like to play for Team USA in the 2020 Olympics,” Sean Deveney said. “One problem: Thompson should not play high-level basketball at all, not for two years. At least that’s what the science says.

“A paper presented by Dr. Tim Hewett, a consultant who spent the bulk of his career studying the biomechanics of the knee for the Mayo Clinic and as the director of Ohio State’s Sports Health and Performance Institute, and Dr. Christopher Nagelli of the Mayo Clinic, finds that athletes who suffer ACL tears should not return to action for two years.

“Please do share that with Klay,” Dr. Hewett, who has consulted with NBA trainers in the past, told Heavy.com. “This is not my opinion. People say to me, ‘Well, that is your opinion, there are other opinions.’ No, I deal in science and I deal in fact. People don’t like to hear it but it does not change the facts, and that facts are that you’re at risk for re-injury before two years and you won’t be the same player in the first year.”

Thompson is the best two-guard in the NBA. That’s what Lacob said.

“Personally, I think he’s the greatest two-guard — I’m old school. I know it’s positionless basketball, but I go by positions. To me, he’s the greatest two-guard on the planet,” Lacob said. “He’s both ends. He’s a two-way player. He’s got great size and he’s an incredible shooter and he plays hard.

“What more can you ask for than Klay Thompson? Why would you not want Klay Thompson?” 

“ACLs … not good, ok we know that,” Lacob added when asked about Thompson’s injury. “But stuff happens and that’s an injury that now people know how to manage. Plenty of people have come back from ACLs and done pretty well. Honestly, it didn’t even remotely cross my mind.”