It’s going to take some time to get used to Klay Thompson in any jersey other than a Warriors one, but the four-time champion took the first step in putting his Golden State days behind him when he made his preseason debut with the Dallas Mavericks Thursday night.
It was a highly anticipated moment for the Mavericks and Thompson, who, after 11 years with the franchise that drafted him, signed with the Mavericks in free agency this summer. The 34-year-old guard has spoken about getting a fresh start with Dallas, and after sitting out the Mavs’ first preseason game, we got to see that journey begin Thursday night. Thompson finished the game with 10 points and three rebounds on 3 of 9 from the field, including 3 of 5 from deep in 18 minutes of action. In the first quarter, Thompson missed all three of his shot attempts, and after the game, he admitted that there were some definite nerves going on.
“I haven’t been that nervous, I don’t think, since the 2015 Finals Game 1,” Thompson said. “It felt so good just to go out there and play and work those jitters out. It was a new experience, and it’s a natural feeling when you’ve been somewhere so long and to be somewhere new in a new environment. To finally put the uniform on, it felt amazing.”
The sharpshooter got going in the second half, with his first bucket in a Mavericks uniform coming in typical Thompson fashion. He used an off-ball screen by Daniel Gafford to create some space on the perimeter for a pull-up 3-pointer off an assist from Spencer Dinwiddie. It’s a shot and play we’ve seen Thompson make hundreds of times over his Hall of Fame career, and it was just the first of what the Mavericks hope to be many during his time with Dallas.
The first 3-pointer certainly got a friendly roll off the front of the rim, but Thompson’s last 3-pointer came with the kind of guarantee that the Warriors relied on when they won four championships. Thompson comes around a double screen to get the ball at the top of the perimeter, and it didn’t take long for him to fire it up from 3-point range.
“For him tonight, there’s a lot of positives,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said after the game. “He has some great looks that we all think that he’s capable of making, but he just never rushes. He never forces anything. He probably turned down some shots that we would encourage for him to take, but we trust that he’s making the right decision.”
The spacing Thompson’s 3-point shooting provides is exactly why the Mavericks signed him. He’s a significant upgrade from Tim Hardaway Jr., who filled a similar role for Dallas but was far too inconsistent to be relied upon. And while Thompson’s age — he’ll be 35 in February — and recent downturn in efficiency are concerns, he still shot 38.7% from deep last season for nearly 18 points a game. That would’ve ranked second and third on the Mavericks last season.
His defense is another plus that Dallas would love to have this season. Thompson is a former All-Defensive player, and though his defense hasn’t been the same since the torn Achilles and torn ACL injuries, he again is an upgrade to most Dallas players on the roster a season ago. He also showed some of what he can bring on the defensive side of the ball in his preseason debut. While he certainly shouldn’t be expected to be the best defender on the floor for Dallas, he shouldn’t be someone the Mavericks have to worry about getting torched on a nightly basis.
We have yet to see Thompson play with both Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic in the preseason, as Doncic has been out with a bruised left calf, but Kidd said we could see that trio of stars suit up together in the preseason finale on Oct. 17 against the Milwaukee Bucks.
