"One of the top-5 shooters in the HISTORY of BBall" - Stephen A. Smith takes to social media to express awe at Klay Thompson's statement game against LA Lakers

After spending around 900 days battling several injuries, Klay Thompson made his return to the NBA for the Golden State Warriors on January 9, 2022. Sports analyst Stephen A. Smith has always sung the shooting guard's praises. Smith has recently been elated at seeing Thompson improve in each passing game since the latter's return.

The Warriors have been careful with Klay Thompson, limiting his minutes and opting to sit him out of games entirely. This is to ultimately ensure there is no hiccup in his recovery process. Thompson's minutes restriction has seemingly played a role in him taking some time to find his devastating shooting touch.

However, in the Warriors' last outing, Thompson was on fire and helped his team end a two-game skid. Following his stellar performance against the LA Lakers, Stephen A. took to Twitter to give the two-way guard his flowers.

"Yes y’all. He is BACK!!! One of the top-5 shooters in the HISTORY of BBall. I am talking about Mr @KlayThompson. I keep telling everyone……that brother will return with a vengeance. You cannot teach the kind of shooting stroke he has. Top-5 ALL-TIME!"

Klay Thompson endured a relatively slow start following his return, but that was to be expected considering how long he was out for. The shooting guard now finds himself gradually getting back to his scintilating best, to the delight of many. including Smith.

Stephen A. has been thrilled by how the Warriors have started their campaign and is even more excited about the team's prospects this season. Especially in light of the recent return of Thompson and big man James Wiseman.

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Klay Thompson's fourth-quarter takeover guaranteed a win for the Warriors over the Lakers

LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks to gather a loose ball against Stephen Curry #30 and Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors

In the Warriors' win over the Lakers, Klay Thompson saw the most game time since his return, hitting the 30-minute mark, a decision that certainly bore fruit for the Warriors. Although it was a low-scoring fourth quarter, Thompson was responsible for 73% of the Warriors' total fourth-quarter points.

The three-time NBA champ scored 16 of his team's 22 points, keeping the Lakers at bay. Thompson was the only player to score in double-digits during the final quarter, on an efficient 6-of-10 shooting from the field. He finished the game with 33 points and five rebounds.

The Warriors won the game 117-115 with LeBron James failing to convert on clutch free throws. He knocked down only one of three attempts at the line with two seconds on the shot clock. If he had made all three free throws, the Lakers could have forced overtime and perhaps gotten a different result.

Nevertheless, Klay Thompson has shown that he is once again a reliable scoring threat for the Warriors. This all but confirms the other 31 NBA teams' worst nightmare, Golden State is back. Although Thompson is not where many would expect defensively, he still has some time to make some improvements before the offseason.

In the 14 games he has played thus far, Thompson is averaging 17.9 points, rebounds and 2.9 assists. He is shooting 43.8% from the field and 38.9% from beyond the arc.