Grading Klay Thompson's Start With the Dallas Mavericks

How has the future Hall of Famer meshed with the Mavericks?

Nov 16, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson (31) reacts during the first half against the San Antonio Spurs at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Klay Thompson's move to the Dallas Mavericks this offseason was one of the biggest storylines across the NBA. He left the Golden State Warriors after 13 years, where he won four championships and made five All-Star Games, establishing himself as one of the greatest shooters in NBA history and a future Hall of Famer.

His first few weeks with the Mavs haven't gone as smoothly as he'd prefer. He's still a threat to shoot from behind the arc, which is opening up the offense for when he's out there, but he hasn't shot the ball as well as he'd prefer.

Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report graded the biggest transactions of the offseason so far and gave Klay Thompson's performance a C- for his first few weeks in Dallas.

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"The Dallas Mavericks haven't exactly charged out of the gates, but that has more to do with Luka Dončić's shooting struggles and some lapses in transition defense (especially off live rebounds) than anything else," Hughes stated about Thompson's start. "That said, Thompson is posting the worst three-point percentage (35.6 percent) and second-lowest scoring average (13.6 points per game) of his career through the season's first few weeks while doing little to dispel concerns about his defensive mobility.

"It's at least encouraging that his presence on the floor seems to still be beneficial to his teammates, as the Mavs have a higher offensive rating with him on the court than off. That data can be noisy, though, and Thompson is still forcing a few too many shots in an effort to get himself on track. It's fair to say Thompson hasn't been a transformative force in the early going, and that he hasn't regained the step or two he lost in his final season with the Golden State Warriors. Dallas had better hope that changes come playoff time."

It's important to note these statistics were pulled before Tuesday's game against the Pelicans, where Thompson had 19 points while shooting 5/9 from three.

Luka Doncic has admitted he's still trying to get used to how to play with Klay Thompson, and Jason Kidd has said since the preseason, it will take time for the new players to adjust. But Thompson has been getting open shots; he just hasn't knocked them down yet.

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