Klay Thompson's first game as a Dallas Maverick was great

“Mavs blue looks good on me,” Klay Thompson said with a wry smile near the end of his courtside interview with TNT's Allie LaForce after his debut with the Dallas Mavericks reached the Finals. “I’m having a great time.”

Of course he had fun. Thompson had made just 4 of 5 3-point attempts in the second half en route to 22 points, seven rebounds, three steals and an entry in the team record books as the Mavs cruised to a 120-109 victory over the San Antonio Spurs won. It was the first game of his 12-plus-year NBA career in something other than a Golden State Warriors uniform, and he admitted to being more nervous and on edge before tipoff than he has been in a long time.

“You were very nervous and scared for a few minutes until you saw one come through,” Thompson said. “Then it feels great. Setting a record is always a great feeling and something I will never take for granted.”

His six 3-pointers in the Mavericks' 120-109 victory over the San Antonio Spurs are more than any rookie made in his first game with the team. That makes sense, of course – the Mavs have never had a 3-point shooter as prolific as Thompson on the roster in the first 12-plus years of his career.

If this record-breaking debut has upset anything, it may be that Thompson is the key to achieving the level of success the Mavs have dreamed of since that magical run in 2011. If Dallas strikes, as constructed during the 2024 playoff run Although Thompson exceeds the team's collective talent ceiling by appearing in the NBA Finals, he could be the missing piece to bring home a second championship.

At least that's what every fan will think about when watching Thompson's 22 points, seven rebounds and three steals against new rivals. But Thursday was just one of 82, and there's no reason to get ahead of yourself – just listen to head coach Jason Kidd.

“Klay is patient – ​​he’s trying to figure out his spots,” Kidd said in his postgame comments. “Our job this early in the season is hopefully to get his feet back into balance and you could see his feet settling down and him feeling comfortable.”

Dereck Lively II, who is in the process of becoming a Dallas Mavericks basketball revelation in his own right, took that a step further.

“You see a few shots go in. You can see how comfortable he is in the AAC,” Lively said. “When you see that happen in the first game, it’s going to be a long season for the league.”

The Mavericks fired a warning shot in the air. This Thompson guy is going to be trouble. He may have declined the opportunity to give the haters a wink and a kiss in his postgame remarks, but the point still stands.

Rumors of Thompson's death have been greatly exaggerated. He's just taken the floor with one of the best pure scorers and distributors this game has ever seen, drawing so much attention defensively that if Game 1 of 82 was any proof, Thompson is some of the best He'll get the most gigs he's ever gotten in his career for the next three years. On a drive-and-kick from Luka Dončić in the third quarter against San Antonio, Thompson was left so wide open that he had to find his shooting rhythm with a single crab dribble on the way up for the shot. It's a far cry from rolling away from the screen wide-eyed and snapping shots of defenders in the face as quickly as possible.

“It was great to be out there with Luka,” Thompson said. “What an incredible talent. That doesn't make sense considering what we were taught as kids about being the best basketball player. He plays at his own pace. He manipulates the game in a way that I've never seen anyone do, and it's great to be on the receiving end of that and get great looks. Hopefully we can improve each other’s games and our squad.”

At 34 years old entering this season, Thompson won't fool anyone for a 25-year-old version of himself. “How much is left in the tank?” was the standard concern immediately after taking the step to purchase it. But at some point during his debut with the Mavs, it became clear that Thompson still had so much to give to the game.

How lucky we are then that he can do it in a shade of blue that really brings out that winning smile.

You can listen our latest podcast episode in the player embedded below, and to make sure you don't miss a single one in the future, subscribe to the Pod Maverick podcast feed on Apple, Spotify, Pandora, Pocketcasts, YouTube, YouTube podcasts, Amazon Music, Castbox.

You can check out our After Dark Recap podcasts, YouTube Live recordings and guest shows on Pod Maverick Podcast feed. Please subscribe, rate and review.