DALLAS — There was a look of bewilderment on the faces of Klay Thompson and many others throughout American Airlines Center Thursday night.
The new Dallas Mavericks were so shocked by how much of a triple chance he had in the fourth quarter that he dribbled rhythmically to try to get his body to the rim.
Before the ball left his hands, Luka Doncic, who made the pass, was already heading downcourt, as if to say, “Are you going to let this guy on your team?”
All eyes were on Victor Wembaneyama, the San Antonio Spurs’ second-year phenom, who was surprised by the special attention he received, stroking his hands and throwing his body at him.
Wembaneyama’s coming out party was postponed to serve as a reminder that Thompson is perhaps one of the top five best shooters in NBA history. And the Mavericks are the Western Conference champions and have no intention of relinquishing the title just because the conference gets tougher at the top.
On Thursday night, Doncic shook off the summer rust and Thompson showed nothing as the Mavericks showed no mercy against the Spurs. Thompson’s six triples scored 22 points in a game Dallas won 120-109, a team record for a player in his debut.
Mavericks guard Klay Thompson, 31, attempts a layup during the second half while being guarded by Julien Champagnie of the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024 in Dallas. (AP Photo/Albert Pena)
Many have already cemented Wembaneyama’s name as Defensive Player of the Year in the latter half of his rookie year, and as MVP in the not-too-distant future. However, he was treated a bit disrespectfully by draft mates Derek Lively II and Daniel Gafford, who played center field when Dallas reached the NBA Finals.
Wenbanyama’s final numbers looked effective enough with 17 points and 9 rebounds, but he missed 13 of 18 shots and had unexpected difficulty getting looks. The addition of veteran Chris Paul also doesn’t seem very promising, and it’s easy to assume that Wenbanyama’s rough night and Paul’s debut in a Spurs uniform are correlated with struggles.
But this night was about Dallas. Although this team continued to run until spring, in a sense it was treated as an afterthought. Minnesota is trending to make the Finals, but it’s certainly not as trendy as the Oklahoma City Thunder, who had the best record in the conference last season.
In fact, the Denver Nuggets will win the NBA title in 2023, and the big-box franchises in Los Angeles and the Bay Area are always discussed.
Faith in Dallas is whispered, not proclaimed over a loudspeaker. Thompson’s finish with Golden State, a proud veteran who has so far failed to find a spot with the only known franchise, made some people uncomfortable with him over the summer. .
But it’s worth noting that he made it through the quagmire of free agent negotiations and shot 39 percent from 3-point range last season, up from 41 percent after the All-Star break. He’ll be 35 by All-Star Weekend this season, and while he probably won’t be the same person he once was, he can still make an impact.
And playing next to Doncic, the NBA’s best perimeter scorer, means great plays like that over-the-top triple one minute into the fourth inning are easy to pull off. That rhythm dribbling is because you tend to overthink it, but here you can catch it and let it fly.
“That doesn’t make sense, because we’ve been taught that to be the best basketball player, we have to jump the highest and run the fastest,” Thompson said. “But somehow Luka fights against that. He plays at his speed and manipulates the game better than I’ve ever seen him.
“It’s great to be on the receiving end of that.”
Thompson added that he was just grateful that Doncic did the makeup so he didn’t “look stupid.” But that will be difficult tonight or any night.
Space is limited in the half court, but playing with Doncic and Kyrie Irving (a top creator in his own right) means you have to keep an eye on those two, so use as much space as possible. It means to be plentiful.
“Klay is patient and we’re trying to figure out his position,” Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said. “When Klay isn’t making shots, he can put it on the floor and make decisions. We’ve talked about this before. When we bring in a rookie, our job is to hopefully get them off their feet. It’s about solidifying. And I think you can see that his feet are calm and he’s comfortable here and he’s having fun.”
This was an impressive first game, and the Spurs are far from championship vintage. There will be nights when Thompson struggles because he isn’t as mobile as he used to be on defense, but the trio seems to work very well offensively, as he can’t leave himself open even when he’s off.
“Like I said, this is a lot of space for me and Kai (Irving), not just for Klay, but for everyone,” Doncic said. “We can’t leave Klay open. We can’t leave Kai open. So… it’s going to be tough for the defense, but we just have to take it one game at a time.”
Doncic wasn’t his usual self in the first half, but once he exploded, the game was out of reach midway through the fourth quarter, when he finished with 28 points and 10 rebounds to MVP chants. 8 assists night.
Irving and Lively each had 15 points, and Lively had 11 rebounds and six assists.
For Thompson, it was unforgettable to be playing with Irving, who played in the NBA Finals multiple times on the Warriors vs. Cavaliers tilt, and Spurs forward Harrison Barnes, who they won a title with on the Warriors’ first team. This is the person who acquired it.
This shows that nothing lasts forever and the only consistency is change. So being flexible is your best attribute. It’s not like last season in Golden State didn’t produce results, nor does it mean this year will be smooth sailing.
It just means things are different.
“I’m grateful to be in the NBA,” Thompson said. “You look around and you see the guys that came in with us are still playing at a high level, especially playing as Chris Paul. I mean, talking to CP right now, it’s like, ‘Hey. I used to chase him around for 40 minutes.” I used to hate his guts, but now we’re good friends. ”
After a great opening night, Thompson faces another challenge in a few days when he will face another good friend, Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns.
