Report: Klay Thompson cleared to be a full participant in practice

Golden State Warriors All-Star shooting guard Klay Thompson has been cleared to be a full participant in all Warriors’ practices. He is trending toward a potential return a week before Christmas Day, according to Shams Charania and Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr says no one has informed him Thompson is cleared for practice.

Thompson is rehabbing from a torn Achilles tendon that he suffered last year and has not played basketball in 892 days. The sharpshooting guard tore his Achilles during his rehab of his first injury, which was a torn left ACL. He may be medically cleared to ramp up his activity, but true clearance from the coaches and the front office might still be pending.

The last time we saw Thompson on the court was in the 2018-19 season, where he averaged 21.5 points and shot 46.7% from the field and 40.2% from three-point range on 7.7 attempts per game. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said that the organization wants Thompson to play his first game at the Chase Center and his expected comebacks are Dec. 20 against the Sacramento Kings or a few days later on Dec., 23 against the Memphis Grizzlies, barring any setbacks.

However, if Thompson does not make his long-awaited regular season debut on those days, then it’s possible to see him on Dec. 28th at the Chase Center against the Denver Nuggets.

Update, Nov. 23 — Thompson is back at practice and is doing 5-on-5 scrimmages with teammates. His Achilles looks good, per Kerith Burke of NBCS Authentic. The report from last week still has Thompson targeting a return in December and possibly early January. The Warriors aren’t in much of a rush to bring Klay back while the team is in first place in the West and has the best record in the NBA.