Klay Thompson is regarded by some as one of the league’s best three shooters. Over his career, he has an average of 41.3 percent from three. Even though he only shot 38.7 percent the previous season, he shot 41.2 the year before, reaching an amazing 44 percent in 2018.
There is a lot of space, especially in the paint, for both Kyrie Irving and Luka Dončić because this is a person that nobody can leave alone on the floor.
This is one of Klay Thompson’s more remarkable technical demonstrations. The renowned “no-dip three,” which only the best players can execute in-game, is what he does when he comes off a screen, rotates, and catches it at the ideal moment.
In addition to being the best in the NBA at catch-and-shoot, making space for himself on the perimeter, and moving off the ball, Klay Thompson was selected to the NBA All-Defensive second team during his rookie campaign in 2011–12.
This indicates, if it wasn’t already clear, that he is a high IQ basketball player with excellent vision, much like Kyrie Irving, Dante Exum, Derreck Lively, Luka Dončić, and others. He can read the offense and know where to go on defense.
Klay Thompson stands apart from many other players because of his ability to read the game. With Thompson, a lot more plays and actions are conceivable than in the past when the offense was a deer caught in headlights and static. Observe how he finds and creates Trayce Jackson-Davis for lobs, how he passes behind Trayce’s back, and how he feeds him in the paint. The commentator refers to this as “magic looking”; it was from last season.
Taking a breath in style
Trayce and Klay have a close relationship on the court. tweet.com/HsRM3nmhxV
— March 19, 2024, Golden State Warriors (@warriors)
A few of these videos also demonstrate his off-ball work, which is an important but sometimes underappreciated skill in this game.
A year ago, I posed the following question in a post that head coach Jason Kidd later mentioned at a press conference: “What if Luka Dončić was surrounded by dynamic, high-IQ players who could move off-ball and weren’t afraid of the moment?”
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The truth is that Klay Thompson perfectly fits the description, despite the fact that I focused on European players and guys with European experience (like Dante Exum). With all of these particular qualities, he is the kind of player who will work well beside Luka Dončić. Of course, it all depends on whether he buys in, but based on all indications, that is the main reason he came to Dallas in the first place.
Thompson told the media what drew him to the Mavericks immediately after the team’s official relocation from Golden State to Dallas in early July. “Dallas was so attractive because of the young players they have, the style of play, and the world-class treatment these players get from the organization,” he said. He claimed to have seen himself rooting for the Mavericks in the postseason and imagining a way to win alongside them.
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