Klay Thompson left the Golden State Warriors after 13 seasons with the franchise this summer, joining the Dallas Mavericks to get a change of scenery after an unhappy end to his time with the Warriors. Many blame his struggles in Golden State last season to his unhappiness, with former teammate DeMarcus Cousins backing Klay to have a comeback season in Dallas while speaking on the ‘Run It Back Podcast.’
“Obviously, Dallas got better. They added a third piece that complements them perfectly. There’s less pressure on Klay to perform how they were expecting him to perform in Golden State. So there’s less pressure in Dallas. I think we see Klay have a really good year. He’s going to be a perfect complimentary piece. He’s been that before with championship teams. I think he has a good comeback season.”
“The biggest thing is we’ll see a happy Klay. Klay’s looking to be loved and embraced, and I think Dallas is the perfect fan base and city to achieve that. So we’ll see a happy Klay and that’s good for the NBA.”
Klay hasn’t looked great for the Mavericks in the preseason so far. He had a strong three-point shooting (3-5 3PT) and defensive performance in his first preseason game against the Utah Jazz but was largely inefficient as a scorer inside the three-point arc in his 10-point outing.
Thompson had a horrible performance in the Mavericks preseason contest against the Los Angeles Clippers, shooting 0-9 and missing all seven of his three-point attempts in a 0-point outing. This performance has concerned many that the version of Klay we saw last season might be the same player in Dallas.
Should The Mavericks Be Worried About Klay Thompson?
Context is extremely important while analyzing what Klay Thompson brings to the Mavericks. He’s technically a cheaper replacement ($15.8 million) for the outgoing Tim Hardaway Jr ($16.1 million).
Klay is making less money than Hardaway did last season and his baseline of production would still be higher than the extremely streaky Hardaway Jr, who averaged 8.6 points on 35.9% from the field after February last season.
Klay averaged 17.9 points last season, shooting 38.7% from three on 9.0 attempts per game. He shot over 42% from three after the All-Star break last season, proving he still has incredible shooting ability when in a rhythm. The four-time champion has started seasons with poor shooting splits for almost a decade now, but has always improved his efficiency as the season progresses.
Thompson also hasn’t shared the court with Luka Doncic just yet, as Doncic was ruled out with a calf through the Mavericks’ three preseason losses. Doncic’s gravity alongside Kyrie Irving will guarantee open shots for Klay, which is exactly what the team wanted when they signed Thompson.
Klay’s efficacy as a catch-and-shoot player will make him a consistent threat on the Mavericks three-point line. He will attract attention and open the floor up even more for Doncic, so unless Thompson is producing even worse than what Tim Hardaway Jr. was doing last season, Mavs fans shouldn’t overthink this addition.
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