Klay Thompson’s role in the Warriors’ offense remained consistent over his 13 seasons in the Bay.
Now, the five-time NBA All-Star must learn a new playbook and overall offense after leaving Golden State for the Dallas Mavericks in free agency.
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban discussed the acquisition of Thompson and the veteran’s adjustment into Dallas’ offense with an optimistic tune Friday on “The Roommates Show” podcast with New York Knicks guards Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart.
“Obviously, the big addition was Klay,” Cuban told Brunson and Hart. “Just somebody that you have to face-guard, who is going to, you know, make 40 percent [of his three-point shots]… At Golden State, he had to always be on the move. (h/t ClutchPoints’s Joey Mistretta)
“They had that motion offense where he was always coming off screens and running. You know, we don't do that, or not nearly as much. Sure, we will run some of that action for him. But just standing in the corner… standing in the wings, and just catch and shoot from Luka [Dončić] and [Kyrie Irving]. Hopefully, his life is going to be a lot easier.”
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As Cuban said, Thompson won’t be coming off screens from his former Warriors teammates or on the receiving end of gorgeous passes from Steph Curry and Draymond Green, all of which fit his playing style like a glove for so long.
Instead, the four-time NBA champion primarily will be in a catch-and-shoot role with the Mavericks.
Thompson will partake in an isolation-heavy Dallas offense that is led by ball-dominant scorers Irving and Dončić taking turns chucking shots en route to regular 30-point games. Irving averaged 25.6 points last season and Dončić 33.9; This is a serious change of pace for Thompson, considering he was Golden State’s second-leading scorer (17.9) during the 2023-24 NBA season behind Curry (26.4).
Cuban is hopeful his stars will make Thompson’s transition easy. After all, big-name players tend to make things work -- just look at what Curry and Team USA did during the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics.
Golden State Warriors
Plus, the Mavericks -- while losers -- were in the 2024 NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics for a reason.
Thompson likely will be fine in the Mavericks’ offensive system. But he will encounter learning curves he never had with the Warriors.