Through three preseason games, Dallas Mavericks fans have already seen the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to the play of Klay Thompson.
Thompson started off his Mavericks career hot as he scored 10 points and played excellent defense against the Utah Jazz, but his second game of the preseason was the exact opposite of this. He finished with zero points against the LA Clippers while shooting 0-9 from the field and 0-6 from downtown.
It doesn't help Thompson's case that Kyrie Irving didn't play in this game, but he really struggled to create any separation and was forcing some shots early on. Starting slow has been a common theme for Thompson in Dallas, but he didn't bust out of the early rust against the Clippers like he did against the Jazz.
Thompson put all of this behind him in the preseason finale against the Milwaukee Bucks as Dallas won 109-84, and this performance helped save a certain crowd of Mavs fans from an overwhelming doubt about his potential for the season.
Thompson halts Mavericks fans' doubt with hot shooting night
Thompson finished with 11 points on 4-11 shooting from the field and 3-7 shooting from downtown, and he overcame a rough start and turned a seemingly underwhelming performance into a must-watch show for fans at the American Airlines Center for the 18 minutes that he played.
After a couple of misses, Thompson locked in and drilled back-to-back jumpers. After this, Thompson seemingly couldn't miss. He drilled two more threes, one from the wing and one from the corner. And it was clear inside the stadium that all the jitters that were there at the beginning of the game were gone.
Thompson's nerves from his Mavericks debut were obvious, and he admitted to them, but he has been a different animal once he gets comfortable in the flow of the game. He wants to succeed so badly in Dallas, and Thursday night was a great momentum builder heading into the regular season. His killer performance against the Bucks couldn't have come at a better time.
While all eyes went to Thompson's shooting, his expertise as a passer was a sight for sore eyes when it comes to Mavs fans and the shooters they've had to watch over the years. Having a knockdown shooter who is also a smart passer is hard to come by in today's NBA, and that's exactly what Thompson showed against Milwaukee. His feel for the game is on another level, and Dallas coveted his experience and leadership when pursuing him this summer.
He was making great reads and passes in transition, and his willingness as a passer is always there. Thompson seems to like to get some shots up early in games, but once he settles in, his passing really stands out. The Mavs also used him as a ball handler in the pick and roll, and several times he made the right play when it came to dishing the ball off to the diving big man or kicking the ball out to an open shooter on the perimeter.
His all-around offensive skillset is much better than anyone gives him credit for, and he is already showing that the Mavs can use him in tons of different ways on offense.
Thompson looks ready to rock for the Mavs as they take on the San Antonio Spurs in the season opener next Thursday, and his performance against the Bucks helped ease some Mavs fans' minds who were nervous after his rough showing against the Clippers.
