NBA news: Klay Thompson heaps praise on 'unbelievable' Warriors ace after Grizzlies win
KLAY THOMPSON has branded team-mate Alfonzo McKinnie ‘unbelievable’ after he came off the bench in Monday night’s win over the Memphis Grizzlies.
McKinnie, 26, put up 14 points in 29 minutes after coming on in the second half on Monday night.
The Golden State Warriors beat the Grizzlies 117-101 to continue their blistering start to the season.
Steve Kerr’s side are now 10-1, and show no signs of stopping as they top the conference.
Whilst the Warriors’ first line of offence seems unstoppable, Thompson has hinted that their bench is just as strong.
After McKinnie’s impressive game against the Grizzlies, Thompson was full of praise for the star.
“It's unbelievable, honestly,” Thompson told ESPN.
“I don't want to jinx the man, but he makes his first shot every time he comes into the game, since the pre-season, since I've been seeing him play.
“He's so efficient and he fills up such a great role for us as far as his defensive versatility, his ability to rebound, his ability to knock down jumpers.
“He's a great athlete and I cannot believe the guy hasn't been in the NBA for years now.”
McKinnie’s route to the NBA has been a strange one.
After he was skipped on in the 2015 NBA draft, the youngster took himself out to Luxembourg, before moving on to Mexico.
From Mexico he moved to the NBA G-League, also known as the NBA development league.
He then moved on to the NBA and signed with the Toronto Raptors, before moving on to the Warriors.
“He took a crazy path and he deserves everything he's doing because he works really hard,” Thompson said.
“I'm proud of Zo.
“He's a great player and he's going to be a great addition for us all year."