For the first time in more than a decade, Steph Curry will not refer to Klay Thompson as a teammate. During their joint career, the Splash Brothers revolutionized basketball, and their legacy will live on in perpetuity.

But to cover up the Klay-sized void, Curry now needs a backcourt mate. Buddy Hield, who the Golden State Warriors acquired during the offseason, should be the clear option.

Steph Curry was questioned about his compatibility with Hield during Golden State’s Media Day, considering that the latter has an offensive profile with Klay Thompson. Curry stated at 18:02:

Curry added, “I mean, we’ll figure that out.” Regarding the openness of our next play, it’s one of several issues that need to be sort of worked out.Buddy, though, only shoots the ball. You’ll take care of that by playing within the rules, making open shots, and posing a threat to score everytime he’s on the field.No matter who we’re out there with, we obviously need to have a defensive mentality towards all five guys. However, engage in a few pick-up games with him. We need that because he is a self-assured player, which is highly sought after in the league. I’m not too concerned about it, but it is one of the many issues that need to be resolved collaboratively in order to finish the project.Buddy Hield may need to improve his defense even if he seems like a natural offensive fit, as Steph Curry noted. Klay Thompson was one of the league’s top two-way players in his heyday. It remains to be seen if Hield can at least replicate a portion of it.

Steph Curry mentioned that it hadn’t “sunk in” that Klay Thompson was departing the Warriors.The darkest days for Golden State supporters were the ones following Klay Thompson’s departure from the team. Evidently, Steph Curry experienced the same thing. During a July Yahoo interview, he stated:

Even after 13 years of dating, it still hasn’t truly clicked that you don’t have Klay man. You know, Steve Kerr, the coach of the Warriors, cracked a joke. “There are times when it’s hard to find Klay during the offseason and you don’t hear from him as much, but when he does show up at training camp, he’s ready to go,” he said.I kind of think that he will still (appear) in October and say something like, “Hey guys, what’s up?” But I’m aware that it’s not taking place.