The Mavericks and Klay Thompson appear a match made in heaven.
Only a week into his Mavericks career, Thompson is already rewriting the history books. The veteran sharpshooter has drained 15 threes through his first three games, a record for most long-range shots by a player with a new team.
During Monday’s 110-102 win over the Jazz, Thompson made four of his team’s 11 threes, less than 48 hours after making five of Dallas’ 13 threes against the Suns. Essentially, he is responsible for nearly 40 percent of the team’s long-range shots through the first week.
One of the biggest differences for Thompson in a Mavs uniform is he no longer needs to run around down screens and flare screens, like he did with the Warriors, to hunt for open shots. Since Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are master dribble-penetrators, their gravity creates a ton of space for Thompson to simply choose his spots and knock down threes. This simple formula also helps him conserve his legs, keeping him fresher in the fourth quarter.
After his 22-point debut against the Spurs last week, ESPN’s Chiney Ogwumike did a great job of breaking down the fruits Thompson stands to reap in a Mavericks uniform.
“Six for eight in catch-and-shoot threes. This is not the Warriors Klay that had to run around and do so much,” Ogwumike said. “This is the guy who just has to space the floor. That’s why when people said, ‘Oh Dallas, is there where you chose to go?’ Klay knew exactly what he was thinking.”
If we roll back the tape to Thompson’s final game as a Warrior — the play-in loss to the Kings on April 16 — he received only two catch-and-shoot tries through 10 field goal attempts. He went 0-for-10 in what marked a very anticlimactic end to his Warriors career.
In a Dallas uniform, though, it’s catch-and-shoot galore. The prospect of one of the greatest snipers in history getting these kind of looks and settling into this ideal role is definitely a scary proposition for the rest of the NBA.
