Dallas Basketball

Klay Thompson gives surprising grade for his first season with the Mavericks

Thompson hoped for a little better from his new franchise this season.

Austin Veazey

Apr 5, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson (31) looks on during the first half against the Los Angeles Clippers at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
Apr 5, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson (31) looks on during the first half against the Los Angeles Clippers at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images / Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
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The Dallas Mavericks have not had the season they expected coming off a run to the NBA Finals last year. Some of it has been self-inflicted, like trading away Luka Doncic, but injuries have hampered the team all season, leaving with a 39-43 record. They're getting set for the Play-In Tournament on Wednesday against the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night, and they will have to win two road games against the Kings and the loser of the Memphis Grizzlies-Golden State Warriors game just to make the playoffs and face the OKC Thunder.

That's not what anybody had in mind for the Mavericks this year, especially Klay Thompson, who left the Warriors for the Mavericks, hoping to produce for a championship contender. That didn't end up happening, but Thompson has stayed mostly positive throughout the experience, and he's averaged a solid 14 PPG while shooting 39.1% from three-point range.

READ MORE: Luka Doncic leads NBA in jersey sales after Lakers-Mavericks trade

Mar 31, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson (31) in action during the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Brooklyn Nets at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

During a media availability on Monday, Thompson was asked to summarize his season, and gave himself a solid score.

"I'd give it a B," Thompson said after chuckling to himself. "I thought I shot the ball decent, nearly 40% from three. But I'm really grateful to play in 72 games and be a consistent presence in the lineup. That's something I can really hang my hat on."

Thompson was one of the many players hindered by the Luka Doncic trade, as one of the reasons he cited when signing here was getting easy looks generated by the gravity of Doncic and Kyrie Irving. And the team looked great when everyone was healthy, but Nico Harrison got in everyone's way and killed the morale of the team and fanbase. Anthony Davis just doesn't have the same kind of offensive creation, so it's been harder for Thompson to generate clean looks since then.

READ MORE: Can Mavericks make a run? Breaking down NBA Play-In Tournament odds

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Austin Veazey
AUSTIN VEAZEY

Austin Veazey joined NoleGameday as the Lead Basketball Writer in 2019, while contributing as a football writer, and started as editor for MavericksGameday in 2024. Veazey was a Florida State Men’s Basketball Manager from 2016-2019. Follow Austin on Twitter at @EasyVeazeyNG

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