Thompson scored 10 points in 18 minutes in his preseason Dallas debut.
After a rocky first quarter for the newest Maverick on the court Thursday, Klay Thompson showed glimpses of what’s to come during his tenure in Dallas.
Thompson scored 10 points on 3-of-9 shooting, including 3-of-5 from behind the arc, in the second period. His first make as a Maverick came off a screen and danced around the rim before finally dropping home, giving the preseason crowd at AAC something to cheer for.
“I was nervous for like four days,” Thompson said postgame. “So nervous. I haven’t felt that way since the 2015 Finals, Game 1. It felt so good to just get out there and work those jitters out because it was a new experience.”
His playmaking was on display too as he found Dereck Lively II twice in the second quarter for nice finishes around the rim. Thompson also found Kyrie Irving for a midrange jumper in the first quarter for his three assists in 18 minutes played.
Defensively, Thompson looked solid, moving his feet well on closeouts and fighting over screens to not allow open shots for Utah’s shooters. Utah looked to get him involved in action early and often, but Thompson held his own and looked good on the defensive end.
“It’s great when you have offensive players like Luka and [Kyrie] because you can focus on guarding guys,” Thompson said. “I still want to get rid of the notion that I’m not the same defender I once was.”
Thursday was Thompson’s first appearance for the Mavericks after he signed a 3-year, $50 million contract this offseason to leave the Golden State Warriors, where he spent the entirety of his career and won four NBA Championships.
Though he only played the first half, Thompson showed sparks of what he can bring to this Dallas team this year, and hopefully Dallas’ two remaining preseason games (Monday, 9:30 p.m., @ Los Angeles Clippers, Thursday, 6:30 p.m., vs Milwaukee Bucks) will pair Thompson with his superstar teammate Luka Dončić before Dallas kicks off the regular season in two weeks.