Utah
Warriors: Klay Thompson’s evolution is showing itself after win in Utah
SALT LAKE CITY — The 3-pointer wasn’t swishing, so Klay Thompson had to switch things up.
Against a mediocre Utah Jazz defense, Thompson settled in, went mostly off-ball and found his mid-range shot. Eight of his 11 makes were for 2 for an easy team-leading 26 points. To win, the Warriors didn’t need Thompson to go scorched Earth from beyond the arc; on two surgically-repaired legs in his 34th year, Thompson’s teammates need him to embrace what the game gives.
“Looked really good tonight. He looked composed. Not forcing anything,” Draymond Green said. “He looked like he was just at peace.”
This hasn’t been a peaceful year for Thompson. At its peaks, Thompson plays like he did in Utah — as an evolved version of himself that can lay low on nights he doesn’t have his legs, but keeps defenses preoccupied as a threat to pop off into a scoring frenzy on a dime. In its valleys, Thompson grows visibly upset that he’s not always the bonafide second option, the go-to closer and scorer he was before his two major injuries.
His frustrations bubble to the surface when coach Steve Kerr benches him to close games while he struggles. He kicked chairs and threw objects after being benched late in a loss to Phoenix in November. He expressed a realization that he’d gone from “one of the best players” to a mere mortal in crunch time when rookie Brandin Podziemski and G League call-up Gui Santos got to close over him in a win over the Brooklyn Nets last week.
After not closing a win against the Suns on Saturday, Thompson sat fully dressed in his game-worn jersey with a towel over his head, staring daggers at the inside of his locker. Jerome Robinson gave him a shoulder-squeeze of encouragement on his way out and Thompson chucked his phone into his locker in frustration — not with Robinson, but with himself.
It may be deduced that Thompson’s frustrations signal a refusal to accept his new reality. But it only reveals Thompson’s outlier competitiveness as a double-edged sword.
“I feel like I’m handling it good. I understand there will be ups and downs,” Thompson said. “You want to be as consistent as possible, but at least I’m out there playing and healthy.”
Thompson’s future with the Warriors may depend on how he balances his passion with reason. Will he go searching for a contract that rewards the player he used to be and, perhaps, still thinks is somewhere in him? Or will he settle into something that suits how he’s matured?
Despite his outward dismay, Thompson told The Ringer he knows he will have to accept a lesser role in the last part of his career. Thompson referenced his idol Ray Allen, a superstar who embraced a lesser role with the Miami Heat late in his 30s.
“Yeah, there’s nothing wrong with that,” Thompson told The Ringer. “I’ll be 35 next year. At 35, coming off the ACL and an Achilles (tear) and still have the ability to be a really good player. Maybe not the guy who scored 60 in three quarters and scored an NBA record 37 points in a quarter, but still a great threat out there.
“I’ve modeled my game after Reggie (Miller) and Ray and those guys were incredibly effective until their late 30s. So I plan on kind of following that mold.”
Green saw that quote floating around online and brought it up after the game in Utah.
“That’s great,” Green said. “You see young guys taking these next step they’re taking — the JKs, the BPs — you have to allow that growth and you have to be OK with that growth. Klay is growing into that. That’s an interesting position to be in. To see him settling in is big for this team. We need Klay. We need a very good Klay which allows us to make a run.”
Thompson’s 17.1 points per game are the fewest he’s averaged since the 2012-13 season and his 37.3 percent from 3 is well below his 41.3% career average. All said, what might matter most is that Thompson has shown he can evolve off his past. That’s something Thompson and the Warriors can benefit from — as they saw in Utah.
“For him to be able to show up the way he did tonight speaks to his confidence in himself and competitive nature,” Steph Curry said. “He would say it’s not been easy all year, but life ain’t easy. Your work isn’t easy so you have to take the highs with the lows. Whatever peace of mind you can find to enjoy basketball, that’s where he thrives the most. We’re encouraging him to do that and that’s what he’s telling himself.”
UTAH COUNTY, May 11, 2026 (Gephardt Daily) — Two males, ages 14 and 19, were transported to area hospitals Sunday after the side-by-side they were riding rolled down the side of a mountain.
Utah County Sheriff deputies and Santaquin police responded to the 6:07 p.m. call. Two medical helicopters were called to the scene, in the Pole Canyon area, as was a Department of Public Safety helicopter with a hoist in case it was needed, Sgt. Austin Edwards, Utah County Sheriff‘s Office, told Gephardt Daily.
“Eventually, rescue workers were able to make it to the spot on the hill where the vehicle had come to rest, and they were able to secure the victims, stabilize the victims, and get them back down the hill again to where the helicopters were waiting,” Edwards said.
“The 19-year-old male was transported to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo, and the 14 year old was transported to Primary Children’s in Lehi.”
Both were said to have critical injuries, which were not considered to be life threatening, Edwards said.
“The cause of the rollover is still under investigation, so we don’t have that information available just yet.”
Photos: Utah County Sheriff
In what has a chance to be one of the most important nights in Jazz history, the Utah Jazz jumped in the NBA Lottery to the #2 spot for the upcoming NBA draft.
Here are the final results, which show all the movement.
Aside from it being a massive night for the Wizards, Jazz, Grizzlies, and Bulls, it was a devastating night for a few teams, but no one more than the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers, in their trade for Ivica Zubac, had a stipulation on their pick that if the pick was top-4 they kept it. But if it fell below 4, they would give it to the Clippers which is exactly what happened. Now, the Clippers, who are without Zubac, find themselves with a #5 pick to build around.
For the Jazz this is a culmination of four years of rebuilding that ends with an extremely satisfying end. Utah will now have one of the tier-1 players from this draft: AJ Dybantsa or Darryn Peterson. The player Utah drafts will be one of their cornerstone pieces and will have the chance to not only play, but be a part of a team that will be competing for the playoffs this season.
The Utah Jazz now have a Sinister Six core: Darryn Peterson (If AJ Dybantsa goes #1), Keyonte George, Ace Bailey, Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Walker Kessler (if he signs). It’s quite the core with a mix of youth and veterans in their prime. With this group, the Jazz will have a chance to be one of the top teams in the Western Conference. Yes, the Thunder and Spurs are going to be difficult to beat, but Utah has the mix of talent, coaching, and depth that could absolutely do the trick.
Now the Utah Jazz look forward to the NBA Draft that be on June 23rd. Let the posturing begin!!
PROVO — An organization that has been a beacon of hope for Utah children and families just got a big upgrade in Provo.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Utah County on Friday held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its newest facility, marking the start of a new chapter in providing support for those who need it the most.
The new Kent B. Nelson Clubhouse, 131 N. Olympic Blvd., replaces the organization’s former Provo clubhouse, which had been in operation for more than 50 years. Boys & Girls Clubs of Utah County leaders said they had outgrown the aging facility and needed a larger, more modern space to support more community members.
“This new clubhouse is more than a building — it’s a central place where we can coordinate programs, support our staff, and amplify our impact across the region,” said David Bayles, CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Utah County, in a statement.
The organization’s mission was something the late former Utah County Commissioner Tom Sakievich was passionate about. His wife Marji and daughter Emily Sakievich attended Friday’s grand opening ceremony just as if he would’ve wanted to.
“He loved this project, and it meant the world to him,” Emily Sakievich told KSL. “This was actually one of the last places he went before he passed. (He) and my mom stopped by to just see how progress was going; he would be so excited to see this come together.”
The former commissioner died last December at the age of 72. Tom Sakievich resigned from the seat in September 2024 after being diagnosed with glioblastoma brain cancer.
Emily Sakievich said her father was a big supporter of helping children in the Boys & Girls Clubs feel supported while he was in office.
“He would have all of them come to his office and talk about how government works and how they can be a part of it someday,” she said.
The new 20,000 square-foot facility expands on resources and programs offered at its previous site for community youth and families experiencing hardships.
The clubhouse will provide safe, engaging, and educational programs in a modernized building fit to serve more than 14,000 Utah children and teens.
A variety of programs including after-school, summer activities and STEM learning will be offered at the new facility. Other resources include internet safety programs, mental health support, nutrition initiatives, and housing assistance for families experiencing homelessness.
“We’ve been able to increase the capacity so much and add preschool and other things; we can even benefit more families — and we can benefit them for a longer period of time, from younger to older, where there are no gaps.” Provo City Council Chair Katrice MacKay told KSL. “So I’m really excited. It’s a fantastic thing for the city and for our residents.”
Leaders of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Utah County say the new $6 million Provo clubhouse was designed as a welcoming space where children and teens can explore new interests, build life skills, and receive mentorship from caring staff.
“The Boys & Girls Clubs have been a cornerstone of youth development in Utah County for decades,” said Janet Frank, board president, in a statement “This new clubhouse strengthens that mission, allowing the organization to extend its reach and impact across the entire region.”
Friday’s event took place while children who attend the Boys & Girls Clubs were in school, so another ceremony for kids and their families is planned for the end of the month.
“The Boys & Girls Club is for every kid out there,” Bayles said. “We want to accomplish what every parent wants for their kids — we want them to have a safe place to learn and grow, to be successful in school, to build social skills and to go on and be great members of society.”
The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.
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