Who's Next ... Klay Thompson

Klay Thompson

Height/Weight: 6'6"/200 lbs

Shooting Guard/Small Forward

Hometown: Los Angeles, California

School: Washington State

Year: Junior

Klay Thompson is best 20 point per game scorer you've probably never heard of. One would think that the talented son of a former NBA number one overall draft pick (Mychal Thompson) would have a bigger following from scouts and fans around the country, but that's not the case. The tall wingman hailing from Los Angeles is low-key, quiet, and lets his explosive game do the talking. At Washington State, he is lighting up the conference with his well rounded skill set, and drawing comparisons in the process to former Player of the Year, Evan Turner.

Thompson was unanimously ranked by scouting powers Rivals and Scout as a 4 star recruit coming out of Santa Margarita Catholic High. As a prep senior, the wingman averaged 21 points per game and lead his school to a California Division III state championship. The accolades began to come in fast in furious for Thompson: EA Sports Second Team All America, Divison III State Player of the Year, and League MVP. With so much attention from the media, you would imagine that Thompson's skills would demand the attention of major college hoops programs far and wide. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. Michigan was the only storied power to offer him a scholarship, while Washington State, Pepperdine, and Notre Dame tried to get in the mix for the Los Angeles product as well. Thompson didn't have too much to choose from, but in the end Washington State was the pick. Being a Cougar would give him a premier role on the team and an opportunity to shine in the Pac-10.

As a freshman, Thompson started very strong and carried his momentum throughout the season. He was named to the Pac-10 All-Freshman Team, averaging 12.5 points per game while starting all 33 contests. His sophomore year, though, Thompson took his game to another level. He averaged 19.6 points and 5 rebounds a game, while having several simply dominant performances against the opposition. Thompson dropped 43 points on San Diego during a November home game, and 28 against Cal, just to name a few. Performances like these landed him a spot on the All Pac-10 first team.

Looking forward to the upcoming season, Thompson seems to be primed for another dominant stretch. This summer he showed off his game at the LeBron James Skills Academy in Akron Ohio, impressing many pro scouts and even King James himself. Thompson's a natural scorer, and can shoot the three as well as he can drive the lane. As mentioned before, everything about his game screams "Evan Turner", because of both their abilities to lead an offense at the "point forward" position. Even though Thompson only averaged 2 assists a game this past season, that doesn't reflect how good he was facilitating the Cougars attack. He drew almost all the pressure from opposing defenses, and was not exactly surrounded by elite talent to finish opportunities he created. Despite not being the best athlete, Thompson's ball skills allow him to slip through defenders. On the defensive side of the ball, he is stellar, always staying in front of his man and rarely letting them get wide open.

Scouts now view Klay Thompson as a potential top ten draft pick if he's able to carry the momentum from this summer into the upcoming year. Though not mentioned on many Pre-Season All American Teams, here at NextGen Sports we believe Thompson will crack the first or second team by year's end, and perhaps make a strong case for National Player of the Year in the process.

Link: Klay Thompson posterizes hapless Eastern Washington defender.

-John Stoller