The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana – One of the highlights of the New Orleans Pelicans and Golden State Warriors matchup will be the first NBA meeting and celebrated Bahamian connection between Buddy Hield and Klay Thompson.

Both teams come in looking for their first win after losses in their respective debuts and both players look to improve individually.

Thompson, son of Bahamian basketball icon Mychal Thompson (former No.1 overall pick and two time NBA champion), vowed to be better than his uncharacteristic 11-point performance in a 29-point loss to the San Antonio Spurs at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California, on Tuesday.

“It was pretty bad, myself, I was unusually bad. I didn’t bring the energy I should but I’m going to make up for it Friday (tonight). It’s weird because we’ve only had two regular season losses at home each year the last two years. We’ve been very spoilt so it’s an unfamiliar feeling when you lose. That’s a great thing. It was a weird feeling, no one really enjoyed it but we got some good work and I made a positive light out of it.

“There were times I was too lazy and not getting after those loose balls like I should have. Regardless if it was October 25th I have to play with more edge. I will. I know I will.”

Thompson, the two-time All-Star, shot just 5-13 from the field and 1-6 from three-point range.

“I had like four open threes which were short which means I have to get my legs into it, which I will do Friday,” he said. “That was a good wake up call for us. We realise it’s a long season and we don’t want to peak in November-December we want to peak in May-June but it’s time to take every game serious, it doesn’t matter if it’s the regular season. It’s a matter of pride.”

Hield also struggled in his season debut with four points and three assists on 2-8 shooting, 0-3 from three.

Always a strong presence in the Bahamas, both Mychal and Klay are frequent participants in the annual Jeff Rodgers Summer Basketball Camp, while Klay’s brother Mychel was a member of the Bahamas’ national team at the 2014 Centrobasket tournament.

Prior to the draft, Thompson said he was proud of Hield for furthering the legacy of elite basketball in the Bahamas.

“He’ll be a great scorer. He works so hard. He’ll be a tenacious defender. He’s physically gifted. He’s going to help somebody. He’s going to make a big impact,” he told CSNbayarea.com. “I’ve tried to tell people that he’s the next big thing. He makes me proud to see a guy coming from a little island in the Bahamas doing what he’s doing.”

Many pundits have projected Hield’s NBA game to be comparative to Thompson’s due to their outside shooting and movement without the ball.

The Pelicans and Warriors face off 9:30pm tonight local time at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN.