As the U.S. men's basketball team ground out a third straight tight win against a very competitive France squad, two things became very clear. First off, the lack of defense in the paint is going to bite the team pretty hard if it continues. The second one is far more positive though. Klay Thompson finally found his shot.

Everyone knows that Klay can shoot the lights out on any given night, but the first four games of the Olympics were a real struggle for him. He only scored 11 points total through the first four games, which is remarkable considering that the U.S. utterly dominated their first two opponents. Coach K decided that keeping Klay Thompson in the starting lineup was essential to the team's success though and his faith and patience paid off to great effect against the French.

Thompson put up 30 points yesterday in what was a performance reminiscent of his explosions in the past. He had more points at halftime (13) than he had during all the previous games and he didn't stop there. Klay came out in the second half on fire, splashing four 3-pointers in what turned out the be a decisive third quarter as the U.S. surged ahead by as many as 12 points to begin the fourth quarter. Then, when France clawed it's way back into the game behind some fantastic guard play from Tomas Huertl, Thompson came off the bench to hit a big runner in the lane. Klay Thompson decided the outcome of the game without much help and Coach K has to be grateful.

We've seen this before from Thompson. To most casual NBA fans, he's Steph Curry's running mate, a guy who can shoot some threes and not do much else. But who can forget his 37 point quarter against Sacremento? Or the Game 6 do or die against Oklahoma CIty this past playoffs, where he rained a record 11 threes? When Klay gets hot, there is nothing like it in the NBA. His stroke is perfect, from the moment he catches the ball, and his release is one of the quickest in the league. Team USA might need some help on the defensive end, but right now let's marvel at the fact that we have Klay Thompson and his hot hand to carry us through to the medal round.