B/R Exclusive: Klay Thompson, Draymond Green Talk Haters, Early Struggles

Klay Thompson was in the visiting locker room at Golden 1 Center when he got dressed. You could tell the sharpshooter was not happy as he put his shoes on and scarfed down some popcorn.

The media members were waiting for the players to show up. The Golden State Warriors fell to 0-7 on the road after a loss to the Kings.

Thompson, who is off to the worst shooting start of his career, scored 17 points on 6-of-16 shooting, including 5-of-13 from three-point range, to go with seven boards, a block and a steal in 32 minutes.

The veteran guard gave an exclusive interview to Bleacher Report after he told Ray Ridder that he didn't feel like talking.

Thompson quickly responded to the mention that he was a part of all four of the titles the Warriors have won.

Thompson said that he had been here for those titles. People act like they're not paying attention.

Those who have criticized his slow start are referred to by the guard. He's shooting career lows overall (35.1 percent) and from three-point range (33 percent), and he's averaging 14.7% points, his lowest scoring output since his first year.

Thompson tore hisACL andAchilles in the same year and missed the entire season. He averaged 20.4 points and shot 38.6 percent from long distance in 32 regular-season games.

Due to his slow start, the five-time All-Star has faced criticism from commenters like Charles Barkley, who questioned if it was time to start Jordan Poole over him. Turner Sports, which owns Bleacher Report, has an analyst named CharlesBarkley.

The 32-year-old doesn't care about what pundits say in the past. Why right now?

Thompson told B/R that he deserved more credit for fighting through his injuries. People still don't like what I do because I helped a team win a title.

What did I learn about that? You can't please everyone. It is about getting back to the form of efficiency that made me great. I think I'm on my way there.

There are some issues that the defending champ needs to figure out. Steve Kerr has tinkered with the secondary lineup in order to find the right nucleus.

Without an in-season trade, Golden State will have to rely on some or all of its promising yet inexperienced talent, including James Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga andmoses Moody, to round out its second unit.

The Warriors are facing a new challenge.

Draymond Green stated that it was a lot different. We have had an elder statesman come off the bench. Someone who would come off the bench and make a difference. It isn't the same now.

Jordan Poole is usually the first guy off the bench, and J.P. is usually a starter. It is a different feeling. Past second units used to be a different offense, but it is still the same.

When Curry goes out, the offense changes and there are more sets. It's going to be the same with Jordan. It took some time for guys to adjust to that.

"For a lot of those guys in the second unit, they don't play a lot with Steph and so they don't really understand that." We understand the randomness of it because we have been playing with it for a long time. It will take time for that group to understand the randomness of it.

In their second game of a back-to-back, the Warriors blew out the San Antonio Spurs 132-95 at Chase Center.

The Warriors are traveling to face the Suns. Outside of the Bay Area, the team is winless.

Thompson said that they were in a rut. We are fortunate to have this out the way early. I am happy to go through this now instead of a few months from now. There is no need to worry. There are 14 games in. It takes a long time. It's difficult to go back-to-back. The new guys are being integrated. We will figure it out, it will take time.

Thompson said he would figure it out.

Thompson told B/R that he would get back to his best. I was there in the past. I was close to it. A championship was won by us. We'll get back there. There's proof in the pudding. You can't take away the hardware.

Chris Haynes has been covering the NBA for 13 years, with stops at Yahoo, Cleveland.com, and others. He can be found on the sideline on NBA broadcasts.