The Big Lead

Was Steph Curry's 'healthy egos' comment directed at Klay Thompson?

By Joe Lago

Oct 23, 2024; Portland, Oregon, USA; Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry (30) shoots the ball against Portland Trailblazers forward Toumani Camara (33) during the second half at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images
Oct 23, 2024; Portland, Oregon, USA; Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry (30) shoots the ball against Portland Trailblazers forward Toumani Camara (33) during the second half at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images / Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images
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The new-look Golden State Warriors opened the season with a 139-104 road victory over the hapless Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday. It was the Warriors' first game without Klay Thompson, the four-time NBA champion who was traded in the offseason after struggling with inconsistent shooting and a demotion to the bench last season.

The Thompson deal allowed Golden State to refresh its roster with veteran players, namely Buddy Hield. In his Warriors debut, Hield did exactly what the team's braintrust hoped Thompson would do in a reserve role, coming off the bench to shoot 5-of-7 from 3-point range and score a team-high 22 points.

RELATED: Klay Thompson, Mavericks talk title 'dreams,' while Warriors aspire to be 'relevant'

For now, head coach Steve Kerr appears to have a good problem on his hands with a deep, talented roster and only so many minutes to go around (sound familiar?). When asked if Golden State could actually make a 12-man rotation work for an entire season, Steph Curry appeared to say that it could work, citing the team's selflessness and positivity.

"You have to have commitment. No agendas. No egos — well, healthy egos," Curry said. "When you're out there like you know you're supposed to be out there, but if it's not your night, you can't bring the team down with your energy. I haven't seen any red flags with that."

Now, Curry didn't mention Thompson by name. However, his former Splash Brother's final season in the Bay Area was marred by an ego that made it difficult for Thompson to accept he was no longer starting. Kerr even talked to Thompson about "having my energy right every game" and not worrying so much about his stats and performance.

Curry's "healthy egos" comment was more about praising his new teammates fitting into a new Warriors system. He accomplished way too much with Thompson to be making a snide remark at his former backcourt mate one game into a new season and a new era at Golden State.

However, the Warriors' 2023-24 season was defined by the decline and unhappiness of Thompson. So it's easy for someone to draw conclusions about who Curry was referencing. Then again, Curry could have been talking about Jonathan Kuminga, who also was frustrated by his inconsistent playing time last season.

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