Coming off an NBA Finals appearance, the Dallas Mavericks have high expectations for the 2024-25 season that lies ahead. The acquisition of Klay Thompson is a significant source of optimism for a team that struggled to hit open shots against the Boston Celtics on the league’s biggest stage.
Thompson is equally as eager for the season to arrive. Before participating at the Dirk Nowitzki Foundation Tennis Classic, Thompson shared his excitement for the next phase of his NBA career after a storied 13-year run with the Golden State Warriors.
“I’m excited; it’s a whole new chapter of my career that has the potential to be really special,” Thompson said, via Dallas Hoops Journal. “The team was so close last year—three wins away from a championship—so I know we have the ingredients for success. We just have to stay together and build week by week. I know we can do something special, and that’s why I’m here early, just to get a feel for the city and the lay of the land. And I’m having fun while doing it.”
After joining the Mavericks on a three-year, $50 million contract in a move facilitated by a historic six-team sign-and-trade trade, Thompson will replace Derrick Jones Jr.’s former starting wing role next to Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. The sharpshooter is setup nicely to be the beneficiary of elite guard play leading to plenty of open shots on the perimeter.
Klay is ready to prove he has plenty left
Despite facing a reduced role midseason, Thompson averaged 17.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 29.7 minutes per game across 77 games played. While he missed all 10 of his shot attempts in the Warriors’ play-in tournament showdown against the Sacramento Kings for his final performance in the only team’s uniform he’s worn in his career, he still averaged 3.5 made three-pointers per game while converting at a 38.7% clip.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, Thompson faces an over/under of 3.3 made three-pointers per game and is -115 for both the over and under. During the three seasons he’s played since returning from being sidelined by two major lower body injuries, Thompson has averaged 3.8 three-point makes per game while shooting at a blistering hot 39.7% clip.
Considering Doncic’s improved efficiency as a three-point shooter last season, each of the Mavericks’ top scoring threats put a lot of pressure on the defense from beyond the arc. While factoring in Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford as lob threats, there is real potential for this group to break NBA records. It’s also a factor in Doncic being +370 to win MVP on DraftKings Sportsbook—trailing only Nikola Jokic (+350). The main question for Dallas will be about its defense. Can this team build on the strong close to the 2023-24 regular season and Finals run after inserting Thompson in Jones’ place?
It’s important to note, while Thompson isn’t the defender he once was, the 34-year-old isn’t necessarily a bad defender at this stage of his career either. However, Jones was a dynamic contributor on that end with his quickness and length posing shifty guards real problems while P.J. Washington focused on guarding bigger wings and using his length as a weak-side help defender and rebounder. If the Mavericks can solve this puzzle, they will be a very dangerous team since almost every opponent will have a more challenging time solving for Doncic, Irving, and Thompson when gameplanning defensively.
Veteran leadership is already on display
What doesn’t show in the stats or the X’s & O’s is Thompson’s impact as a locker room leader. With the exception of international players (Doncic and Dwight Powell), the Mavericks got together in Los Angeles for a voluntary mini-camp, with Thompson being a key part of it. He also took many of his teammates on his boat for a trip to Catalina Island. As a four-time NBA champion and five-time All-Star, he understands the value of taking such an approach to team-bonding.
“It’s been a pleasure getting to know the guys,” Thompson shared. “I just wanted to do something nice for them and take them to one of my favorite places—Catalina Island. We had a great crossing; the water was beautiful that day, the sun was out, and it was awesome. We did a lot of fun things, whether it was diving off the boat, riding jet skis, or just swimming to shore. It was such a beautiful day, and I think those moments as teammates are the ones you cherish for life.
“Now it’s go time, so we don’t have as much leisurely time to do that, but I’ll cherish that memory forever,” he continued. “That’s the beauty of being a veteran—trying to show the younger guys another side of life that we don’t get to experience as much once the season starts. So that was really, really fun.”
If everything goes according to plan for the Mavericks will hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy for the first time since Dirk Nowitzki led an iconic title run in 2011. The Mavs enter the 2024-25 season at +1000 to win the championship on DraftKings Sportsbook, trailing five other teams.
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