Report: Warriors targeting Christmas Day return for Klay

The Golden State Warriors are targeting their Christmas Day matchup versus the Phoenix Suns for Klay Thompson's long-awaited return from an Achilles injury, ESPN's Ramona Shelburne reports.

Thompson missed the entire 2020-21 campaign after suffering a torn right Achilles tendon during an offseason workout.

"He could come back a little bit before that, but in terms of getting his conditioning right, they're targeting the Christmas Day game against the Suns," Shelburne said Friday on ESPN's "The Jump." "I know that sounds a little late to people, but he was injured on Nov. 18 (2020), so this is 13 months from an Achilles injury."

Thompson hasn't played in an NBA contest since tearing his left ACL in Game 6 of the 2019 Finals. The five-time All-Star was durable before the serious knee injury, appearing in at least 66 games in each of his previous eight seasons.

Thompson is a career 41.9% shooter from deep and a two-time All-NBA third-team selection. He and backcourt partner Stephen Curry led the Warriors to a trio of championship titles in 2015, 2017, and 2018.