How Klay Thompson's absence will impact the Warriors' season as they try to maintain their identity amid reinvention

SAN FRANCISCO — If you've ever taken an introductory philosophy course, you probably vaguely remember the paradox “The Ship of Theseus.” Essentially, the question is: If each part of a ship is replaced individually but retains the same structure, at what point, if ever, does it become a different ship? The paradox also applies to NBA teams. For example, the Phoenix Suns still have a player (Devin Booker) from their 2021 finals run on their roster. This team is fundamentally not the same.

The Golden State Warriors are in a very different position with their core — Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins, Kevon Looney — still intact from their 2022 championship. However, with Klay Thompson's glaring, painful absence, it's hard to argue that the Warriors are the same team.

“A guy like that has been here a long time — he’s been here a long time,” Looney said Monday at Warriors Media Day, finding himself in the present rather than the past. “He helped build a special team and a special dynasty, and his spirit will always be missed.

Golden State's offseason additions of Buddy Hield, De'Anthony Melton and Lindy Waters III can help match Thompson's on-court production and 3-point volume – even the free agent acquisition of Kyle Anderson has helped with his The revised shot form caused enthusiasm – but the heart, the essence, the… Klayism. Located in Dallas, this crucial piece leaves a gaping hole in the warrior ship's hull.

“When Klay leaves here, things just look different, it feels different,” Green said Monday. “It's not the same anymore. It was just the same thing for so long.”

Until about halfway through last season, it seemed like a fait accompli that Thompson would retire a Warrior alongside Curry. If any member of the trio ended up somewhere else before the end of their career, you would have bet on Green given his string of recent transgressions. Instead, it was Thompson who fled, reportedly disillusioned with Golden State's efforts — or lack thereof — to keep him in the Bay.

Although he's generally not the loudest guy in the room, Thompson's presence at Media Day on Monday was noticeably overlooked, with several Warriors noting the “energy” that will no longer permeate the locker room. He played 13 seasons for Golden State, all with Curry as a teammate and all but one with Green. Warriors forward Moses Moody said he was still playing online chess against Thompson (Moody lost to him Monday morning but vowed revenge). Jonathan Kuminga recalled how much it meant to him that Thompson visited his native Africa not long ago.

This guy meant more to his teammates and his city than what he could do on a basketball court.

“I think a lot of people don’t know who Klay is off the court. He’s a great guy off the field,” Kuminga said on Monday. “He’s just a very lovely person off the field because he likes to spend time with people and he likes to talk to people.”

So if Thompson was synonymous with the Warriors and he is no longer a Warrior, are the Warriors still the Warriors? You see why an annoyingly unanswerable philosophical thinker is fitting.

Since arriving in Golden State a decade ago, head coach Steve Kerr has had one of the most unique and complicated offensive systems in the game. It has achieved unprecedented success by harnessing the unique talent of Stephen Curry. But it also weeded out countless players who simply couldn't succeed at it. This season, Kerr has vowed to simplify things by eliminating some of the myriad options each player has on any given play, striking a delicate balance between maintaining identity and adapting to personnel. At least for now, it sounds like he's earned the franchise's approval.

“I know there is a Warrior mentality and culture in how we do things. There is a system that we have had in place for over a decade and it works. “That doesn’t necessarily mean this team has to play like that,” Curry said Monday. “We need to keep our antennae up and be open to accepting and embracing the strengths and weaknesses of this team.”

With the offense changing and Thompson no longer on the roster, the inevitable evolution and reinvention that happens every few seasons for most franchises is finally hitting the Warriors. The assimilation of Hield, Melton and Anderson — along with the continued progress of Kuminga, Moody, Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis — will ultimately determine whether this version of the Warriors can make one final attempt at the mountaintop. As Green said Monday, “Championships are won from six to ten. Championships are not won from one to five.”

However, Thompson's departure means that no matter how much success or failure the team has, it will look different. It's just not the same ship. One of his captains is missing.

“Just his energy on and off the field. Most of all, we will miss him on the court,” Gary Payton II said of Thompson on Monday. “We know what he brings to the table. He is an accurate player and an accurate player. You can’t really replicate what he does.”

“We’ll miss him, but look forward to kicking his ass soon.”