Kuba hopes the Mavericks’ offense can make Klay’s job easier this season originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The role of Klay Thompson in the offense of the Warriors 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 to Dallas’ offense with an upbeat tune on Friday the “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 someone you have to face that’s going to win, you know, 40 percent [of his three-point shots]… At Golden State, he had to always be moving. (h/t Joey Mistretta of ClutchPoints)
“They had that drive offense where he was always coming off screens and running. You know, we don’t do that, or not nearly as much. Sure, we’ll do some of that action for him. But just standing in the corner… standing in the wings, and just catching and shooting from Luka [Dončić] and [Kyrie Irving]. Hopefully, his life will be much easier.”
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 have fit his style of play like a glove for so long.
Instead, the four-time NBA champion will primarily be in a catch-and-shoot role with the Mavericks.
Thompson will take part in an isolation-heavy Dallas offense that is led by ball-dominant scorers Irving and Dončić taking turns throwing shots en route to regular 30-point games. Irving average 25.6 points last season and Doncic 33.9; This is a major 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 hopes his stars will 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.
Plus, the Mavericks — while underdogs — were in the 2024 NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics for a reason.
Thompson will likely be a good fit in the Mavericks’ offensive system. But he will face learning curves he never had with the Warriors.
