Fantasy basketball: What to expect from Klay Thompson upon his return to the court for Golden State Warriors

Klay Thompson is about to do something no one in the history of the NBA has ever done.

When Thompson takes the floor to play in his first game in over two years -- potentially as soon as this Sunday, Jan. 9 -- he will become the first NBA player to return from two consecutive catastrophic lower extremity injuries with no gameplay in between.

Thompson tore the ACL in his left knee on June 13, 2019, during the NBA Finals. Then, while scrimmaging in advance of his return to game action in November,2020, Thompson tore the Achilles tendon on his opposite leg. Now, at 939 days and counting, he is poised to step onto the big stage once again.

Naturally there are questions.

Perhaps the most obvious is, "How do they know he's ready?" After all, Thompson was approaching readiness to return from his ACL injury when he tore his Achilles. Given that series of back-to-back events, how do the people involved in his medical care arrive at the decision to clear him?