The Dallas Mavericks brought in Klay Thompson to help Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving secure the franchise’s second NBA championship. The first came in the 2010-11 season, led by Dirk Nowitzki, who recently shared his thoughts on what Thompson’s addition means for the team.
In last season’s NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics, the Mavs struggled with a lack of reliable three-point shooting. That gap led the franchise to sign Thompson, and Nowitzki believes the veteran sharpshooter is the perfect fit for the squad.
“I loved the move when he first came. That was a no-brainer,” Nowitzki told reporter Noah Weber. “To have someone on the weak side like Klay, he’s one of the best shooters of all time. But I think we saw in the Finals, that sometimes we need some shooting on the weak side, and who better than one of the greatest of all time?”
“It’s early, of course, but I think, so far, I think he’s fitting in well, he’s playing off the other guys, he’s taking the shot,” Nowitzki continued. “He’s so good defensively. So I think he’s definitely helping us going forward here and hopefully have a long season.”
Klay Thompson #31 of the Dallas Mavericks gestures after a thiree pointer against the Houston Rockets. Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images
Thompson makes NBA history against the Jazz
Thompson seems to be the missing piece the Mavericks needed. After some preseason uncertainty, he kicked off the regular season with a bang,even making NBA history in a 110-102 win over the Utah Jazz.
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Thompson scored 18 points, grabbed four rebounds, and tallied two assists, shooting 7-for-15 from the field and 4-for-11 from three. His 15 three-pointers in the first three games set a new NBA record for the most in a player’s debut with a franchise, according to StatMamba.
Thompson’s great start with the Mavs
Through the first eight games with the Mavericks, Thompson, the team’s third-leading scorer, is averaging 14.5 points in 29.4 minutes per game. He’s shooting 39.1% from three on 8.6 attempts per game—both second-best on the team behind Irving, who is shooting 54.5% from deep.
