Klay Thompson looked like old Warriors self in record-breaking Mavericks debut

Now it all makes sense why Mark Cuban went after Klay Thompson. He knew he’d eventually look like his old self. And in his Dallas Mavericks debut, he gave Mavs fans more than enough to rave about. 

It helped that he broke a record in the process, too.

Thompson dropped 22 points on the San Antonio Spurs to help the Mavs win their season opener 120-109. He hit a team record six 3-pointers to stamp his arrival in Dallas.

While Thompson hasn’t quite looked like his old self after suffering back-to-back season ending injuries from 2019-2021, he certainly proved he’s got something left in the tank to be productive in the NBA. 

Klay Thompson’s addition solidifies Mavs Big 3

Dallas knew they needed to be aggressive this offseason in bringing in a final piece that could get them back to the championship. Last season, the Boston Celtics swept Dallas and a key factor was the Celtics ability to outshoot the Mavs. 

So naturally, adding Thompson made sense. And his ability to play off the ball with two phenomenal on-ball guards makes the Mavs that much more lethal on the perimeter. And it makes it harder to guard. 

He shot 6-for-10 from beyond the arc, hitting the most 3-pointers of any Mav that played Thursday night. Luka Doncic was the only other player to score more than 20 points in the win. 

Of course, the season is early and there’s still a lot that can happen. But if Thompson’s debut on Thursday night was any indication of how good the Mavs can be, they just might find themselves on another deep playoff run in 2025.