After spending the overwhelming majority of his profession as a starter – coming off the bench simply 41 instances throughout his first 12 NBA seasons – Klay Thompson has needed to modify to a a lot completely different position with the Dallas Mavericks this yr.
The transition hasn’t at all times been straightforward, however head coach Jason Kidd has been impressed with how the veteran has embraced the change, in accordance with Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com.
“For Klay, coming off the bench he’s been nice,” Kidd mentioned. “He’s enjoying his position at a really excessive stage for us. With the ability to anchor that second group, with the ability to get photographs for him after which simply his voice, not simply on the bench or within the locker room, but in addition on the ground. For our younger gamers, he’s been nice.”
Thompson’s impression has proven up within the numbers as nicely. In 24 video games as a reserve, he’s averaging 11.9 factors per recreation whereas capturing 37.1 % from three-point vary.
These marks signify a noticeable enchancment in comparison with his manufacturing in eight begins, the place he averaged 8.8 factors per recreation and linked on simply 27.5 % of his makes an attempt from deep.
Thompson has performed 13 seasons for the Warriors and Mavericks. He has averaged 18.8 factors, 3.5 rebounds, and a pair of.3 assists in 897 regular-season video games.
He was chosen to play in 5 All-Star video games, and has gained 4 NBA championships.
Southwest Notes: Eason, Williamson, Koloko, Thompson https://t.co/XdhLTfPOtA pic.twitter.com/xAeqqMTcpJ
— Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors) January 2, 2026
