Key Stat Shows Klay Thompson is Proving Doubters Wrong

The Splash Brother has been money in the fourth quarter this season

Dec 15, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson (31) gestures while walking off of the court after defeating the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

When the Dallas Mavericks brought in Klay Thompson this offseason, they dreamed his shooting threat would help open the floor for Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, and that he could be the missing piece to a championship. After struggling to shoot as a team in the NBA Finals, it was easy to see why they thought that.

Thompson started the season slowly, figuring out how to fit in with the offense, averaging 13.2 PPG while shooting 36.8% from three in the first 17 games and then missing some time with a foot injury. But one key stat shows he's still the same Klay Thompson.

READ MORE: Mavericks Made Right Call Letting Offseason's 'Priority' Walk

According to StatDefender, Klay Thompson has the highest three-point percentage in the fourth quarter in the NBA, shooting 51.2% from deep (minimum of 40 attempts). His new teammate, Kyrie Irving, is also on the list, sitting 4th at 47.5%. Donovan Mitchell, Tyler Herro, and De'Aaron Fox are some of the other names further down the list.

In Thompson's last six games, he's improved to 19.5 PPG while shooting 48% from three, showing fans he can still provide elite shooting and that his defense is still solid, having four steals in Saturday's win over the LA Clippers.

While the Dallas Mavericks have had few games with the main rotation fully healthy, they're slowly building chemistry and learning how to play with each other. Jason Kidd said it would take time for things to operate smoothly, but they're 18-10 before Christmas and could likely make a similar end-of-season run as they did last season.

READ MORE: 3 Takeaways From Mavericks' Bounce-Back Win Over Clippers

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