Inside Klay Thompson’s Early Days with the Mavericks: Finding Rhythm and Chemistry with Luka Dončić
Klay Thompson adjusts to the Mavericks, building chemistry with Luka Dončić as Jason Kidd shares insights ahead of the season opener against the Spurs.
DALLAS — Klay Thompson’s preseason with the Dallas Mavericks has been a period of adjustment, not just to a new team but also to a new role alongside Luka Dončić. On Thursday, the Mavs will face the San Antonio Spurs to open the regular season, putting this into practice for the first time against external competition.
This transition marks a significant chapter in Thompson’s career, as he last played with the Golden State Warriors in April. He likened his adjustment with the Mavericks to “transferring schools.” He has embraced the challenge of building chemistry with one of the NBA’s brightest stars in a different offensive system than the one he had next to Stephen Curry.
Thompson, who averaged 17.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists last season, debuted as a Maverick at the American Airlines Center on Oct. 10 during a preseason game against the Utah Jazz. Despite being a preseason outing, the moment was significant, with a warm reception from the home crowd, and Thompson admitted that he felt a wave of nerves leading up to the game before finishing with 10 points.
“I was nervous for like four days,” Thompson said after the game. “I haven’t been that nervous, I don’t think, since Game 1 of the 2015 Finals. It felt so good just to get out there and play and work those jitters out. It was a new experience, and it’s a natural feeling when you’ve been somewhere so long to be somewhere new in a new environment. To finally put the uniform on, it felt amazing.”
Thompson’s decision to join the Mavericks—a team coming off an NBA Finals appearance—was driven by a desire to contribute to a squad with championship aspirations. Having spent his entire career with the Warriors, adjusting to a new system, teammates, and city has been a substantial change. Yet, as Thompson navigates these challenges, he remains confident in his ability to adapt and thrive.
“When you’re on such a talented team, you don’t have to be a hero,” Thompson said. “That’s what attracted me to come here. I think these guys can help me get the best out of myself. And have fun. When you’re playing with a smile on your face, basketball is the best.”
During the preseason, Thompson averaged 7.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists across three games. While his shooting numbers—24.1% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc—were below his usual standards, Thompson views the preseason as an opportunity to find his rhythm.
Thompson’s best stretch came in the preseason finale against the Milwaukee Bucks when he made three consecutive jump shots, igniting excitement throughout the American Airlines Center. “It felt good to catch a good rhythm,” Thompson said. “You can’t really simulate live play, no matter how much practice. It’s preseason, and that’s what it’s for, to get your legs under you.”
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Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd has also been patient with Thompson’s adjustment, understanding that it takes time to integrate a player of his caliber into the team’s dynamics. “Klay got great looks,” Kidd said during the preseason, remaining confident in Thompson. “They haven’t gone down, but that’s the life of a shooter. He’s going to keep shooting. And he made some.”
Building Chemistry with Dončić
One of the main attractions for Thompson in joining the Mavericks was the opportunity to play alongside Dončić. However, the two missed the chance to share the court during preseason games as Dončić dealt with a left calf contusion. Despite this, they have had ample opportunity to work on their on-court chemistry during recent practice sessions. For Thompson, the time spent with Dončić has been invaluable.
“I think we’ll be great,” Thompson said. “A huge reason why I’m here is because of Luka and the chance to play with him. With the week ahead, we’ll have a lot of time to build great chemistry. But he’s such a great player. I don’t think he needs much time to get acclimated to new teammates. He’s elevated everybody’s game since he’s been in the NBA.”
The reviews about how Dončić and Thompson have meshed on the practice court have been glowing throughout the organization. Kidd echoed these sentiments, expressing optimism about how well the two have connected during practices.
“Those two seem like they’ve been playing together for a while, and that’s a positive,” Kidd said. “Klay is doing everything we’ve asked of him, both offensively and defensively. I think you’ll see as the season goes on that they have a good understanding of each other’s game. We talk about the late pass with Luka—it takes time to get used to. He’s so strong that when it looks like he’s going for a layup, he can fire a fastball to you.”
For Dončić, who has established himself as one of the best passers in the league, the opportunity to play with a shooter of Thompson’s caliber opens up new possibilities. While the preseason did not provide a chance to test their chemistry in games, Dončić has used recent practices to adjust to Thompson’s tendencies and learn the best ways to set him up for success.
“There’s not much to adjust to,” Dončić said about playing with Thompson. “If he’s open, he’s going to knock it down. It’s Klay Thompson, one of the greatest shooters ever. It’s gonna be fun out there.”
Dončić also emphasized that Thompson’s off-ball movement and spacing could drastically change how opponents approach guarding the Mavericks. Regardless of the defense’s game-planning focus, adding a sharpshooter like Thompson will put the defense in difficult positions.
“Every game will be different. Sometimes they’ll double me, sometimes they won’t,” Dončić said. “Sometimes they’ll take away the lob, sometimes not. It just depends on how the defense plays us, and we’ll go from there, game to game. But with Klay out there, you can’t leave him open, so it changes things.”
Kyrie Irving, who has also been working closely with Thompson, believes that the addition of Thompson’s shooting prowess will make the Mavericks’ offense even more versatile. Irving highlighted how Dončić’s playmaking can set the stage for the rest of the team, including Thompson, to thrive.
“In practice, it’s been fun just feeling the spacing out there. Luka being back out here, he starts doing all his ‘Luka magic’ stuff, and guys have to be ready to play off of that,” Irving said. “The beautiful thing is we have guys you can play off of, guys you can throw the ball to and isolate, guys that are willing to play selflessly.”
Irving noted that having a shooter like Thompson forces defenses to make tough decisions, which opens up opportunities for everyone else on the floor.
“Teams are going to load up on me and Luka, so we have to do a better job as leaders to get off the ball, play different roles, and everything else will follow if we do the right things,” Irving said.
Building Chemistry Through Practice
Even during limited preseason action, Thompson’s presence on the court showed glimpses of how he could impact Dallas’ offensive schemes. Kidd emphasized that integrating Thompson’s off-ball movement has been a key focus in recent practices.
“You’ll see some familiar sets that we’ve been successful with involving Luka and Kai,” Kidd explained. “We’ll also introduce new wrinkles, especially with Klay’s ability to move without the ball. That’s a strength we want to utilize.”
The Mavericks have had nearly a week of high-intensity practices, with Dončić fully participating. These sessions have been crucial for Thompson and Dončić to build their on-court rapport, particularly after Dončić missed the entire preseason. Kidd has noted how the dynamic between the two has quickly developed, even in a short amount of time.
“Klay’s done a great job, and Luka has made sure to get him touches, letting him know he’ll always be open or at least feel like he is,” Kidd said. “That relationship is really, really good.”
The extra time before the opener allowed Thompson and Dončić to continue developing their chemistry, something both see as critical to the team’s success. Not just Thompson but other new additions, like Naji Marshall and Quentin Grimes, have sparked intrigue from what they’ve shown in practices.
“It’s going to be fun out there,” Dončić said. “We’ve been working hard, and the new guys have shown they can really play and help us. We just need to play hard, that’s it.”
A critical part of integrating Thompson has been developing his connection with young big man Dereck Lively II. The Mavericks have emphasized working on handoff exchanges between the two. Thompson’s excitement for playing with Dallas’ bigs, particularly Lively, has been evident.
“It’s great. It’s going to help my game a lot. I’m going to try and give them great looks,” Thompson said. “Dereck’s energy is going to be a great asset for our team—he brings it every day in practice, and so does Gaff. That’s a big reason why I came here, to play with those guys.”
Lively has been focusing on understanding Thompson’s rhythm, which is key to making their connection effective. Whether in dribble handoff actions or off-ball screens, Lively’s role is to ensure Thompson can get his shots off comfortably and in rhythm. This involves studying Thompson’s approach and how he prepares for shots.
“It’s about figuring out his rhythm—what he likes,” Lively explained. “If he likes going off his right foot, if he likes going off his left leg, how he likes to have a little kick into it. Just understanding his rhythm, giving him a little bit of space by setting a hard screen. That’s going to make my job easier because the big man ends up in our group so many times.”
Looking Ahead
The Mavericks are counting on the connection between Thompson and Dončić to be a significant factor in their offense this season. As Kidd noted, their chemistry has shown promise during practice, but the real test begins when they take the court against the Spurs.
“We’re in a good place,” Kidd said. “We’ve got a lot of new faces, but the way they’ve come together has been great. The focus is on bringing that energy and chemistry into the regular season, and I’m excited to see how it plays out.”
With Thompson’s movement and shooting and Dončić’s playmaking, the Mavericks have the pieces to create one of the most dynamic offenses in the league. Thursday’s opener against San Antonio will be the first glimpse into what this duo can achieve together.
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