Klay Thompson on Mavericks Debut: 'One Good Win at Home Is Not Going to Satisfy Any of Us'
Klay Thompson shines in Mavericks debut, hitting six threes in a 120-109 win over the Spurs. Thompson says, “Tonight was a great start, but we have really big goals.”
DALLAS — Klay Thompson’s debut with the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night offered fans a glimpse of his potential impact as he knocked down six three-pointers—a franchise record for a debut—and tallied 22 points to lead Dallas to a 120-109 victory over the San Antonio Spurs.
Thompson’s performance in his first game since leaving Golden State demonstrated how quickly he’s finding his rhythm alongside Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving. The veteran shooter was candid about his debut jitters, the energy from the Dallas crowd, and his early impressions of teaming up with Dončić.
Here’s a full transcript of Thompson’s postgame press conference, where he addressed the emotions of his first game, the team’s chemistry, and what lies ahead for the Mavericks.
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Q: You set a franchise record with six threes tonight. How do you evaluate your own performance, and what are your feelings going into this debut?
Klay Thompson: “Well, the feelings were a lot of nerves, anxiousness, but for a few minutes and you see one go through, you feel great. Great debut. It’s only one game in October, but it feels good just to get the first one out the way, and setting a record is always a great feeling and something I’ll never take for granted.”
Q: Klay, what are the emotions when you hear your name announced in the Mavs starting lineup for the first time in front of this crowd?
Klay Thompson: “Just a ton of excitement. Just really, just an awesome feeling. And you only get the first time of something so often. So, to experience that and hear the roar from the crowd was really cool. I’ll cherish that moment for the rest of my life.”
Q: I know you’ve had a few practices with him in the little pick-up ball, but playing with Luka, how’d you feel about that fit and about some of the looks you’re getting off his creation?
Klay Thompson: “I mean, it was great to be out there with Luka. What an incredible talent. I mean, it doesn’t make any sense because it’s what we’re taught growing up as far as being the best basketball players. You gotta jump the highest, you gotta run the fastest, but somehow Luka defies that. He plays at his own speed and manipulates the game as good as I’ve ever seen anyone do it. And it’s great to be a recipient of that and get great looks. Hopefully, we can elevate each other’s games and our squad, and it’s a great start to a long year. But it’s something that we can build up.”
Q: One play, you were so open, you kind of took a little dribble. What was going on there?
Klay Thompson: “It’s something I’ve done in the past, I’ve done throughout my career. When you’re getting ready to shoot the ball, you’re that wide open; sometimes, you overthink it. So it’s nice just to take a crowd dribble. That just gives you a lot of rhythm. And I’m happy I made it. Made him not look stupid.”
Q: Did any part of tonight feel strange being on a new home court, new uniform, new home crowd?
Klay Thompson: “I don’t think so because the preseason really was important for that. The tension I had when I was feeling strangeness being in a new uniform, new arena, new city. But, to feel the reception from the city, that’s all I needed to feel, to feel at home.”
Q: How long do you think it’ll take for the chemistry to develop between you, Luka, and also Kyrie, who’s a shot creator and can create his own space?
Klay Thompson: “Probably, who knows, I mean, at least 10 to 20, 30 games. I mean, even this team, the run they made last year, they didn’t fully peak till the most important time of the year, so hopefully every game just gets a little better, just gradual improvements. It’s not going to be perfect, but tonight was a good step in the right direction.”
Q: Speaking of awkward, you and Kyrie have had some battles on the larger stages. You’ve been on the same team as Harrison Barnes. You guys are in different uniforms almost a decade later. Does that just speak to how unpredictable sports can be?
Klay Thompson: “No question and it makes you grateful to be in the NBA. You look around, you see those guys you came in with still playing at a high level. Especially playing as Chris Paul. I’m amazed. Talking to [Chris Paul] and I’m like, man, I used to chase you around for 40 minutes. I used to hate his guts. And now we’re good friends. You develop that respect when you battle for so many years. And, true legend of the game [Chris Paul] is.”
Q: Do you miss driving a boat to work?
Klay Thompson: “Ha! Some days I do, but there’s plenty of lakes around here where I get my water fix in. The Bay crossing, that was a good time in my life. I can’t even lie to you. But that’s what the summertime is for. It’s better weather anyway.”
Q: Klay, you mentioned being able to only do the first thing for the first time. So after tonight, have you gotten a chance to actually have a summer leave? Or will you do that a little bit later? What’s your post-game style?
Klay Thompson: “I’ll do that at dinner tonight with my family, my friends. Very special moment. Especially having them here. Thinking about all we’ve been through and how many years. How lucky I am to still be playing this game after 12 seasons of hard basketball. And it’s just a great step in the right direction, and the future looks really bright. So, tonight is going to be fun, a little celebration, but once I wake up in the morning, it’s over with. It’s on the Phoenix Sun scout.”
Q: Klay, I know you’ve talked about your defense and showing it. When it comes to Luka and Kyrie tonight, how much did you see from them, leading by example, just the energy that was very present?
Klay Thompson: “It was incredible, especially to start that second half, picking up full court, causing some turnovers. I thought that really swayed the game in our favor. And Kyrie’s been an incredible defender. He has insane hands, like you watch him handle the ball, same thing when he stabs the ball, he gets steals. He’s got some of the best hands I’ve ever seen. And Luka moves his feet and anticipates the offensive player very well, just watching him tonight. I don’t think he gets much credit on that end, but he is incredible on the boards and staying in front of the offensive player. I was very impressed with him.”
Q: Speaking of the boards, seven rebounds tonight. Coach was saying a little bit ago, he’s asking you to crash the boards, especially on the offensive side. How much pride do you take in the non-shooting part of your game?
Klay Thompson: “Oh, man, I take a ton of pride in every aspect of basketball. Being a two-way player is probably the greatest joy because the players I grew up idolizing were some of the best at that, whether it was Kobe, Clyde Drexler. I mean, they were just, I grew up watching those guys play the two guard at the highest level and try to emulate that. And there’s so many ways to affect a game, even when my shot isn’t falling. I’m gonna lean on that this season.”
Q: Klay, you picked up a plane there or…?
Klay Thompson: “Oh yeah. Start the year off right.”
Q: Klay, a fan tweeted tonight that rumors of your demise were greatly exaggerated. How does that make you feel that the fans are out there tweeting that?
Klay Thompson: “Yeah, it feels good, but it’s one game, guys, and I don’t wanna get ahead of myself. Twitter, I try to stay off Twitter. It’s, you get a lot of… It’s very, it’s a rollercoaster, you know. You can be good tonight, you don’t have a good night, you’re 2 for 11 from 3, the world’s ending. So I try to caution these young guys, especially, like, stay off, stay out of the comments, just focus on your craft and give it everything you got, you can live with the results.”
Q: Klay, how did it feel holding Victor Wembanyama to 5-for-18 shooting tonight?
Klay Thompson: “Felt good. He’s the future of this league, obviously. He does things that no player can really do, especially being able to get it off the rim. But he had some good looks and he’s, like I said before, he’s the future of the NBA, just with his ability to shoot from the perimeter and block shots. I mean, it’s incredible what he can do.”
Q: Klay, just going back, you said it’s just one game, but just going back to watching this team make the finals and then your free agency conversations, you envisioned yourself with this roster. Now that it is a reality, did it meet everything that you envisioned?
Klay Thompson: “Tonight did. Tonight was a great start, but I’m not satisfied. I mean, we have so much basketball ahead, and from the experience I’ve gained, you can never be too high throughout the regular season. And we have really big goals, so one good win at home is not going to satisfy any of us. We want to be really, really good this year and get back to where they were last year.”
Watch Thompson’s full press conference:
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