Is Klay Thompson The Mavericks Missing Piece To Win an NBA Championship?

Is Klay Thompson The Mavericks Missing Piece To Win an NBA Championship?

with Klay Thompson officially in the fold is he the Mavericks missing piece to win an NBA championship we discuss it on this episode of inside the mass presented by aura [Music] [Music] welcome to inside the Mavs presented by Aura I’m your host Kevin gray Maverick pre pel game host on the Dallas Maverick radio network appreciate you joining me here for the latest episode of the program make sure you download And subscribe to the podcast wherever you get your podcast for free give it a f star rating and write a review for it while you’re there and if you’re watching this on my YouTube channel @ Kevin gray Sports make sure you like and comment on the video and subscribe to Kevin gry Sports here on YouTube and you can follow me on X Kevin gray Sports is Klay Thompson the Mavericks missing piece to win an NBA championship now that he is in the fold for your Dallas Mavericks Klay Thompson Naj Marshall and Quinton Grimes all introduced for the Mavericks on Tuesday as they now look forward to helping the Mavericks overcome and win an NBA championship unlike what they were able to do this past season against the Boston telics losing in five games Klay Thompson motivated rejuvenated and ready to play for this team already getting work in with the Dallas Mavericks on the practice floor as he looks forward to this upcoming season will he will wear the number 31 in honor of Reggie Miller Klay Thompson needing 83p pointers to pass Reggie Miller on the all-time three-point made field goal L and he will look to do so in a Dallas Mavericks uniform I’m not going to lie to you it’s still kind of surreal to C Clay Thompson in a Dallas Maverick uniform after spending 13 seasons in Golden State winning four NBA championships but robbed of two and a half years of his prime due to the fact that he tore in ACL in 2019 and then in the 2020 off season Toren Achilles but yet and still at 34 years old Klay Thompson last year at aage nearly 18 points per game shooting nearly 39% from the three-point line provides the Mavericks the missing link that they need in order to win a championship if you look at Klay Thompson and what he’s done over the last couple of years and the reputation that folks have developed for him thinking that he doesn’t have a lot left in the tank he went a long way to dispelling that when he had an opportunity to speak with the media and it sounds like a Klay Thoms that is motivated to ferociously provide opportunities to prove people wrong when it comes to his ability to play on the floor here’s Klay Thompson on why he decided that Dallas was the right place at the right time for him and his career and what he did to ensure that he is going to make an impression here with the Mavericks take a listen why was now the time to um depart for a new team and what made Dallas the destination for you um well uh I mean whether you play basketball or work in the corporate world or wherever whatever industry sometimes change just can spur greatness and a new change of scenery can do do wonders and um I’m very grateful for my time at uh Golden State but um I just felt like you know moving on could just re-energize me and uh do something special for the rest of my career and Dallas was so attracted because of the young players they have the style of play the uh you know world class treatment these players get from this organization and just a beautiful city who loves their Hoops um so when I was watching the playoffs and I’m watching the Mavs you know make a run for the championship uh I just saw myself fitting in really well with this team and the personnel and um they look look like they have fun playing with each other and they play for each other and that was very attractive for me and um that’s really all I needed to see and there’s mutual interest there and that’s why I’m here Klay Thompson studying this Maverick team believing that what he saw during the Mavericks run to the NBA finals the skill set that he still provides as one of the Premier three-point shooters in the NBA he believes that he can be the reason that he is the missing link for the Mavericks to win an NBA championship and for all the questions for Klay Thompson who yes who has seen some of the physical ability for him diminish throughout the course of his career and the questions on how much more he will hold up as he begins his three-year $50 million contract what you can say about Clay is is that he will provide the kind of leadership and knowledge having won four NBA championships and more importantly the spacing on the floor to be able to open up things for Luca dones and Kyrie Irving especially from the three-point line and no matter how you may feel about clay and the fact that he is with the Dallas Mavericks he was wanted by the Mavericks and he wanted them making this a free agent destination that had not been so for the last several years and with Kyrie Irving Luca dones and Klay Thompson you’ve got three players who will complement each other extremely well and for clay you think about what happened with golden state the last year that he was there average as I mentioned nearly 18 points shot nearly 39% nearly 40% from the three-point line in a down year for Klay Thompson think about how much criticism he took yes with the O of 10 game that he had in the playin game but how much more he will be embraced by Mavericks fans and by this team and organization because if he is able to average 19 points a game shoot 40% from three where career-wise he’s nearly a 42% three-point shooter and is able to provide that kind of spacing and help improve Pro this team from a scoring standpoint Maverick’s fans in this organization will be ecstatic with what Klay Thompson is able to give them it just gives you more of a perspective on how things can be viewed differently based on a different situation where golden state is moving more toward a youth movement Dallas is in Prime position right now to use a player of Klay Thompson skill set to be able to help them hopefully get over the top when it comes to winning an NBA championship and that’s why it makes so much sense for clay to be in Dallas based on what he is as a player what he believes he still has left in the tank and more importantly why the Mavericks coveted his services so much because they realized that while things were ending in Golden State there was a new beginning on the horizon for clay with this team and the structure and the organizational atmosphere that the Mavericks have built Klay Thompson fits in perfectly at this stage of his life and his career to be able to provide what he has left for the Mavericks to try to pursue an NBA championship ship in a deep and talented Western Conference that will continue to be tough when we look at this upcoming season but the mavers still remain in position to be in the top four in the west a 50- win team when we look at how this team will go through the course of the regular season this upcoming year but for Thompson now he defiantly has the opportunity to continue his career and to do so in a place where he will Thrive based on what the Mavericks need him to do much like how Jason Terry was able to do when he came to Dallas and being a guy that could space the floor with his three-point shooting was able to steal knockdown shots in the mid-range as well and something that Klay Thompson that you want to see him get back a little bit more to while yes he’s more so now a sniper from the three-point line and primarily that we know that in Klay Thompson’s Prime he was a mid-range Merchant as well and able to knock down shots in the mid-range with the best of them but for this stage of his career his ability the knockdown shots from the outside especially from the corners where he will help PJ Washington become a better three-point shooter that is exactly what this Mavericks team needs and what they’re going to ask him to do for this upcoming season more on Klay Thompson and why he hopefully is the missing piece for this team to win an NBA championship and what he believes he is as a player at this stage of his career but before we get there let’s hear from today’s sponsor of our video and our podcast and let’s hear from AA today’s video is brought to you by Aura do a Google search on your name and email address and see how much information comes up about you I was devastated by the amount of information that I could be seeing searching my name and profile and I knew then I needed to be protected for not just myself but also for my family data Brokers sell your information to scammers spammers and anyone else who may want to Target you your full name email home address health records your relatives it’s all out there that’s why I’ve been using Aura the sponsor of today’s video Ora shows me which data Brokers are selling my information and automatically submits opt out requests for me cleaning up my information not only helps reduce the amount of spam I get but it 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the missing piece for the Mavericks to win an NBA championship he will have an opportunity to play alongside Kyrie Irving who of course he played on an Olympic team with in 2016 played with on a World Cup team and we of course know how fiercely competitive the two of them are and what we saw from them when the Cavaliers and the Warriors engaged in their epic battles in the NBA Finals Klay Thompson looking forward to being a teammate of Kyrie Irvings versus being on the other side of him or of course we saw Kyrie Irving make one of the more famous shots in NBA history over Stephen Curry after he was switched onto him with Klay Thompson but at the same time what you hope for the Mavericks and what they’re getting from Thompson at this stage of his career we know about the three-point shooting we know about the catch and shootability that clay has last year making 20 19 catch and shoot three-pointers and overall was fourth in the NBA and three-pointers made this is still a player who can still shoot the ball with the best of them in the league but the intangibles that will be brought by Klay Thompson that will hopefully be able to permeate this Mavericks team day in and day out on and off the floor when you look at what Klay Thompson had to overcome in order to even get back to somewhat of the player that he was to help the Golden State Warriors win a championship in 20 22 you talk about the work ethic you talk about the dedication and the importance of working at his craft and continuing to hopefully keep his body in the kind of shape that will hold up for the marage to be able to utilize the skill set that he has throughout the duration of the regular season those are the things that when you start talking about how a team is built from the chemistry and a roster standpoint the things that you watch an NBA champion do which the Mavericks are now getting more experien with with working with Kyrie Irving on a daily basis now you get to work with a player who has been through the highs and lows of this league been a part of a championship Dynasty and was the focal point along with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green in order to drive those championships it’s no accident that Klay Thompson is regarded as one of the best three-point Shooters in the history of the game but when we don’t talk about enough with Klay Thompson is the work ethic that he displays day in and day out and the dedication to become one of the best shooters that we’ve ever seen well yes Stephen Curry got a lot more of the Fanfare because of the spectacular nature of his game the steady force that is Klay Thompson is one of the biggest reasons why the Golden State Warriors had the success that they did that stabilizing Force the Mavericks will be able to utilize as well and now along with the experience that Klay Thompson has game throughout the course of his 13 years in the NBA I had a chance to ask Klay Thompson not only about his relation ship with Kyrie Irving who of course they share a shoe brand together with but also what he believes he is at this stage of his career and how he defines himself as a player for the Mavericks now here’s what he had to say than for a question for clay for you just two-part question what was your relationship with Kyrie Irving and how that influenced you making the decision to come to Dallas and how would you define yourself as a player at this stage in your career and what that means to help this Mavericks team try to win a championship going forward some good questions um Kyrie and I are good friends I mean we came in the lead together in 2011 we played on Team USA together twice obviously played against each other in the highest stages for many years and I’ve always been a fan of kaai game and guarding him was hell so it’s nice to be on the other end of that for once and see other Defenders get loose and get shook by him that’s going to be a good sight to see and then uh part two at this point in my career I mean still can’t leave me open and uh I can guard and I’m just excited I still think I can do what I’ve been able to do and it’s just about being in the best shape I can possibly be but I know I can um help this team uh whether it’s the knowledge I’ve gained or um big big scoring nights I just uh still know I can be a very very good player in this league so clay remaining extremely confident in his abilities even at 34 years old to be the kind of player that he expects himself to be and demanding that greatness from himself on a daily basis that is another aspect that the Mavericks will have a front row seat to throughout the course of the summer and into the regular season is the ability to watch Klay Thompson put in the kind of work and what it means to have the kind of Championship habits in order to be a consistent player in this league when we heard from Naji Marshall and from Quinton gbes in terms of their reaction to when they found out that Klay Thompson was coming to the Dallas Mavericks they boed hey we think we’re going to win a chip here in Dallas that is the kind of confidence that this kind of player with his Hall of Fame credentials provides for Mavericks the team and for its fans is the confidence that he can be in fact the one to help this Mavericks team win an NBA championship when you have the kind of player that Klay Thompson is what he’s been in his career Now understand what he has to be moving forward that to me gives you a great indication on how good the Mavericks feel about bringing him into the fold and for Luca Don specifically watching this kind of shooter on a daily basis and how much more motivated he’s going to be to be able to be the kind of player that not only will be a leading MVP candidate this upcoming year but the kind of basketball IQ that Luca donic has possessed and now being able to share that with both Kyrie Irving and play Thompson this is the way that you build a championship organization you identify the flaws that you have on your team and your roster then you start to fill those holes with the kind of players and experience that will help not only the team be better on the floor but also provide the intangibles off the floor to help your Superstar become the kind of player that he desires to be and will eventually become regarded as one of the five best players that we’ve ever seen in the history of this league yes that exactly what I said when we’re looking at the trajectory of Luca donic there is no doubt in my mind that Luca donic by the time we get to the end of his career could be a top 10 top five player that the game has ever seen that is how good he is and most importantly now the organization has finally caught up to the timeline with Luca dones because in a lot of ways the Mavericks have been trying to catch up with the prodigious Superstar who fast forwarded a timeline for the Mavericks in terms of a competitive roster that had to be built around him that it finally feels like this team is on the right path to be able to not only sustain the success that they’ve started to have but build upon that for years to come with the kind of players at their age and with the kind of veterans mixed along with them that will allow them to remain in contention in the Western Conference for several years that to me is a overarching huge important factor when you look at what Klay Thompson Kyrie Irving are providing from this team from a talent and a leadership standpoint but also the young nucleus that this Maverick team has built and when you look at what the Mavericks success has been that is what attracted Klay Thompson to the Mavericks organization it’s another thing to win and what made it so difficult watching the Mavericks break up their team after winning the 2011 championship Dirk ninski won his first championship 13 years into his career it made it difficult for other free agents to look at the matter situation and think that they would be able to get back to a championship because of how much older some of those guys were when you look at Jason Kidd dirt nisy Jason Terry and others who were on that team that were yes able to win a championship but how much more success down the road was there going to be with that group ultimately the Mavericks were never able to win another championship with dirt nisy as part of their franchise but it makes a massive difference now that Luca dones at 25 years old has made his first NBA finals there’s an extremely bright future ahead of him that makes it that much more attractive for players around the league to think that they could come in and be a part of this team moving forward and not only be a part of this team now but also moving forward into the future for years to come that they believe they can be on the right path to True contention year after year after year and with a superstar entering into his Prime and yes Kyrie Irving feeling like he’s in his prime as well marrying that with someone of Klay Tom experience it appears that the Mavericks believe that Klay Thompson is in fact the missing piece for them to win a championship they adequately replaced Derek Jones Jr with Naji Marshall they also were able to replace Josh green with a guy in Quinton Grimes is going to continue to get better as he remains healthy as a guy that can defend and can shoot as well but when you can replace a Tim Hardway Jr with a Klay Thompson and the accomplishment of Klay throughout his career this gives you a lot of confidence that the Mavericks have made the right and necessary moves and most importantly had a successful off season and building on the success that they had this past season in reaching the NBA Finals the way that you have to evaluate the way that I have to evaluate this team is are they continuously moving in the right direction based on the core of their team with their young nucleus with a 20-year-old budding star and Derek live the second at Center obviously with Daniel Gafford PJ Washington but all it being led by Luca donon and kyri Irving now being supplemented by a 34y old sniper from the three-point line that will provide them the kind of shooting that will make it hell for defenses all season long I would not be surprised if this Mavericks offense is a record setting one this upcoming season because Luca donic who shot 38% from three himself on volume continues to improve as a three-point shooter in hopefully he will come back this upcoming season healthy as well so when you talk about the offense that the Mavericks are going to have with Luca Kyrie Klay Thompson an improved three-point shooter in terms of PJ Washington obviously with the physicality and the presence of a Derk Lively II as well along with Daniel gaffer coming off the bench you’ve got a lot of things to be excited about about this team and their ability to compete with the top four teams of the West when you’re looking at the Oklahoma City Thunder the Denver Nuggets the Minnesota Timberwolves you feel like the Mavericks are right there based off of what they were able to do from a defensive standpoint becoming the best defense in the league during the last 20 games of the season and using that to get to the NBA finals but now the experience that all of them will have not only going to that run but now having a full off season to work together and then go into training camp to continue to build on that chemistry the sky is the limit for the Mavericks based on what they’ve put together and now they believe they have all of the necessary ingredients and elements to be able to make that kind of run this defense will have to continue to be one of the best in the league because we know that the offense is going to be there night after night and yes well some of the defense maybe take a slight step back with Klay Thompson being in the starting lineup naturally it will base off of where he is in terms of his physical ability ities at 34 years old but I don’t think it’ll be as near of a steep of a drop off as what folks may think based on what they believe Clay is at this stage in his career if you are to believe how motivated this player sounds to prove people wrong about what he still is as a player I expect a really good Klay Thompson this upcoming season to really provide himself the best opportunity to maximize what he still has left in his career and his game and more importantly be able to Showcase that night after night with the Dallas Mavericks on both ends of the floor because no matter what he’s better than what you were able to move on from in terms of Tim Hardway Jr from a defensive standpoint and we already know that he’s a much better player in terms of being a shooter as well so all in all you feel good about what the Mavericks have done this off season and now they have a player who wants to be here desires to continue to prove people wrong but now has the talent around him at the Young ages when we’re talking about especially with Luca donic to be able to see himself fitting in seamlessly with this team and for Jason kid the head coach he now gets to coach another California Kid in terms of Klay Thompson so the connection should be nice and easy between the two of them Klay Thompson talking about how much he is looking forward to playing with the head coach who has now put himself in position to be consider he is now literally an NBA Finals coach this team Nico Harrison the president of basketball operations had said they want everyone to come back 10 to 15% better if everyone is able to do that given what they’ve achieved so far this off season and with everyone coming back healthy and motivated and being able to be a year better the Mavericks are literally one of the four best teams in the west that have a chance to get back to the NBA finals and this time win it with a true complete team filled with guys that can defend can shoot and led by two superstars and Luca dones and Kyrie Irving that can go toe-to-toe with the best of them yes the matchups were able to break their way and the Mavericks earned their right to get to the NBA finals how they navigate themselves through a treacherous West is going to be fun and interesting to watch as we mentioned with the top three teams with oklah City Denver and also Minnesota getting better as well with Nicole yic of course an MVP candidate every single year obviously Shay Gil just Alexander will be a leading MVP candidate going into next season as well and Anthony Edwards who had a breakout postseason how much more he continues to grow especially with him playing with Team USA and we know how confident that he is so make no mistake about it the West has improved throughout the course of this off season but the Mavericks responded in cont to improve themselves to be right there in the thick of it in this conversation and they are not to be taken lightly now with Klay Thompson especially in the fold the Mavericks are a team to be reckoned with and they believe I believe they have their missing piece in order to win a championship now we will watch it all unfold on the floor throughout the course of the summer during training camp but also into the regular season and hopefully a healthy one for Klay Thompson who yes will turn 35 during the course of the year but if you were to believe what you heard from him in his first words as a Dallas Maverick this player is ready to go and to ensure that he is in fact the reason that all that tape that he studied and watch of the Mavericks make it to the NBA finals now seeing himself being a part of this team he will be in those situations and be able to help the Mavericks capitalize on those opportunities to be able to win a championship for the first time since 2011 since the last time a number 31 was able to win a championship with the Mavericks and Jason Terry and how invaluable he was to that run Klay Thompson looking to do the same while making history passing Reggie Miller but also delivering on what he believes can be one for the thumb moving forward as far as another championship Klay Thompson Dallas Maverick can’t say that enough how man argental this is for this team and what it means for them going forward into this upcoming season and Beyond that’ll do it for this episode of inside the Mas again thank you so much for joining me here on the program make sure you download And subscribe to the podcast wherever you get your podcast for free give it a five star rating write a review for it while you’re there if you’re watching this on my YouTube channel at kevinr sports make sure you like comment and subscribe to the channel here at Kevin gr Sports thank you so much for the support of the show and of course of the channel and you can follow me on X kevinr sports this has been inside the Mavs presented by AA [Music] a [Music]

#dallasmavericks #klaythompson #lukadoncic #kyrieirving

On this episode of ‘Inside The Mavs’ Kevin Gray, Mavericks Pre/Post Host on the Mavs Radio Network discusses the Mavericks addition of Klay Thompson and if he’s the missing piece for them to win the NBA Finals. KG discusses Klay’s fit and why he was so coveted by the Mavericks and more!

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