Klay Thompson made his Dallas Mavericks‘ debut in the team’s preseason bout against the Utah Jazz, falling a 102-107 loss in a close contest. Thompson opened up on making a debut for a new franchise after 13 years with the Golden State Warriors, frankly talking about getting over the nervousness and jitters in the matchup.
“I was nervous for like four days. So nervous. I haven’t felt that way since the 2015 Finals, Game 1. It felt so good to just get out there and work those jitters out because it was a new experience.”
Klay also opened up on the love he’s receiving from the fanbase.
“It feels great to be embraced by the fan base. It inspires me every day to work my hardest and be the best I can be. I know I made the right decision, especially with what I’ve felt tonight and the past few weeks with the team.”
Klay put up 10 points on 3-9 shooting, going 3-5 from three in 18 minutes. His shooting was as good as advertised, especially playing without the playmaking prowess of Luka Doncic.
Kyrie Irving made his preseason debut against the Jazz as well, putting up 12 points and four assists on 6-11 shooting with just 16 minutes of in-game action. Thompson opened up on playing alongside Irving as well.
“The times we’ve played together, we had great success with the USA team. So I’m looking forward to building that chemistry with him again. And when we get more time together, it’s only going to get better.”
The Jazz were led by a fantastic performance from the recently-extended Lauri Markkanen, who scored 26 points with seven rebounds in 28 minutes. This highlighted the new Mavs’ potential defensive struggles against bigger wings with their offense-heavy roster, but Jason Kidd will hope to implement a defensive setup to make them effective despite any roster deficiencies, as he did last season and in 2021-22.
Luka Doncic didn’t play in the contest after picking up a minor ankle injury in training camp. The superstar point guard is expected to play in the team’s final preseason contest against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Klay Thompson Making His Defensive Presence Felt
Klay shot 60% from three on five attempts and proved to the Mavericks why he was a solid investment as a three-point shooter, but he showed another part of his game that many felt was behind him and could be useful for the Mavericks – his defense.
Fans could see Klay making an active effort to be a solid defender, setting the tone for the rest of his teammates with his first actions of the preseason.
Klay Thompson's DEFENSIVE highlights in just 18 first half minutes: pic.twitter.com/S2gAzkkPdd
— Panda Hank (@pandahank41) October 11, 2024
He commented on the same after the game, excited to prove the notions of him being a bad defender were incorrect.
“It’s great when you have offensive players like Luka and Kai, because you can focus on guarding guys. I still want to get rid of the notion that I’m not the same defender I once was. I truly believe I am, and I’m excited to prove people wrong.”
Klay averaged 17.8 points on 38.7% from three last season. If he can stretch the floor and defend at an adequate level, he’s already a major upgrade to who the Mavs have had in recent years performing similar roles.
The upside of this move will be truly realized if Klay is a two-way threat, and his preseason debut was an encouraging sign he could be one.
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