Klay Thompson folded the box score placed on the table in front of him into a paper airplane during the news conference following his debut with the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night, continuing one of the postgame customs he developed throughout his 13 years with the Golden State Warriors. Thompson was particularly proud of the plane's flight after he launched it to the back of the room before exiting. "Oh, look at that!" Thompson said. "It's like an F-16." Thompson's takeoff with his new franchise was pretty impressive, too. He scored 22 points in 26 minutes during Dallas' season-opening 120-109 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night. He was 7-of-13 from the floor and 6-of-10 from 3-point range, setting a record for 3s made in a Mavericks debut. He contributed in the gritty aspects of the game as well, grabbing seven rebounds and three steals. "He was great, man," Mavs superstar Luka Doncic said. "Just knocking down a lot of shots and he was moving out there. He played great defense, too." Doncic described himself as "rusty" after missing the preseason because of a left calf contusion. He finished with 28 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists, but was only 9-of-25 from the floor. It was the first time Doncic and Thompson played together outside of a pickup game and a handful of practices, but the chemistry between them clicked. Doncic assisted on four of Thompson's seven buckets, one of the league's premier playmakers setting up an all-time great shooter. "It's easy to play with a guy like that," Doncic said. "It makes your life easier. You got to find him." It was the type of dynamic Thompson envisioned when he chose to come to Dallas in free agency, a decision made in part out of a desire to play with Doncic. "What an incredible talent," Thompson said of Doncic. "I mean, it doesn't make any sense, because what we're taught growing up as far as being the best basketball player is you got to jump the highest, you got to run the fastest, but somehow Luka defies that. He plays at his own speed and manipulates the game as good as I've ever seen anyone do it. And it's great to be a recipient of that and get great looks." Four of Doncic's feeds to Thompson resulted in 3-pointers. On one of those in the fourth quarter, when Thompson popped out to the right wing after setting a back screen in a "Spain" pick-and-roll, he was so wide open that he had time to take a dribble before the uncontested shot. Doncic began trotting back on defense as soon as he delivered the pass to Thompson. The big smile on Doncic's face indicated how confident he was that Thompson would hit the shot. "Happy I made it," Thompson said. "Made him not look stupid." Thompson, a four-time champion with the Warriors, acknowledged that he felt "a lot of nerves, anxiousness" in his first official game for a new franchise. He calmed down after his shot early in the first quarter, when he caught a pass from Doncic on the right wing, pump-faked to get former Golden State teammate Chris Paul to bite and took one dribble before knocking down a 19-foot pull-up jumper. "Great debut," Thompson said. "It's only one game in October, but it feels good just to get that first one out of the way. ... Just a ton of excitement, really just an awesome feeling. And you only get the first time of something so often."
Thompson's performance was a welcome sight for Mavericks fans, who have been eager to see how he would fit in with Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Thompson's shooting and defense were both on display, and he showed that he can still be a valuable asset to a championship contender. However, Thompson's recent struggles with the Golden State Warriors have left some fans wondering if he can maintain this level of play. Thompson has been dealing with injuries in recent years, and he has not been able to replicate the success he had in his prime. It remains to be seen whether he can overcome these challenges and help the Mavericks win a championship.
Thompson's ability to be good and contribute to winning was never a concern. The issue is how does he, and now how does Dallas, handle it when he doesn’t play well. Because, if the last few years are any indication, some nights he won’t.
Little has been ideal for Thompson since June 2019. He’s been, by sheer force of will, trying to recapture the level robbed from his prime. Five years of soul searching, of faith jousting with reality. He’s spent twice as much time trying to rescue his peak than he had with it. The result has been more moments of malcontent, yelling at people about four rings, than those that mesmerize.
What he managed to accomplish after missing two and a half seasons — following a torn ACL in the 2019 NBA Finals and a torn Achilles in November 2020 — acquitted him sufficiently. He won a championship. He averaged more than 20 points in back-to-back seasons. He set a career-high in 3-pointers made in a season with 301, shooting 41.2 percent in the process.
But if you know anything about Thompson, such was but validation for his inner goon. Merit for his conviction that he’s still Klay.
What happens if this doesn’t work? What if his defiance, his preference for the challenge, has this time led him astray?
Thompson didn’t want to concede his role with the Warriors. Coming off the bench, ending games watching, a smaller role in the offense — none of it seemed acceptable to Thompson, a right of refusal he’s earned. He’d have moments where he seemed to understand and even embrace his new existence. But he’d find his way back to rebellion. Twice with the Warriors’ season on the line, he hunted for his former self and came up empty: 3-for-29 in Golden State’s last two elimination games.
Now he’s on a Mavericks squad that came so close to a title that they smelled the Moët. He’ll likely be in bigger situations, against tougher defenses, with grander stakes than a Play-In game in Sacramento.
Thompson left because he didn’t feel the love he deserved from the Warriors. He left to escape the taunting presence of his legacy. To find rejuvenation in a fresh start, embedded by those who believe in the Klay he wants to summon. But he retreated to the safety of two ball-dominant superstars in Irving and Dončić with a history of volatility.
Most hope this works for Thompson. He deserves for this to hit. But like a stop-and-pop triple from above the break on the wing, it might not. And when a transition 3 is missed, it only highlights the easier, safer, high-percentage shot that wasn’t taken.
But this is Klay Thompson, of whom we speak. He is always willing to take that shot.
