Klay Thompson reacts to being benched for first time with Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks have lost three straight games after falling to the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night, pushing them to a brutal 2-6 record. And for the first time since he became a Dallas Maverick, Klay Thompson came off the bench in the game, putting up 11 points on 4/7 shooting in about 21 minutes, which is better than he had played recently.

But Klay Thompson didn't come to Dallas to be a backup. When he first agreed to leave the Golden State Warriors, he thought he was joining a championship contender and could receive easy passes from Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Less than a year later, Doncic was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, and then Kyrie Irving tore his ACL.

And now, Thompson is having to come off the bench. He's still saying all of the right things, but people would understand if he was frustrated.

“I don’t mind,” Thompson said of not starting, via Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News. “I’m going to play. I’m gonna do great things. That’s coming. I know it is.”

Oct 29, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson (31) celebrates after making a three point against the Indiana Pacers during the second quarter at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Thompson hasn't played well to start the season, averaging just 8.5 PPG while shooting 34.2% from the floor and 29.2% from three. For a team that desperately needs shooting, especially from one of the greatest shooters of all time, this is not the kind of play they need out of him. Max Christie has played better thus far, averaging 12.6 PPG and shooting 47.7% from three, and is among the NBA's leaders in made corner threes.

The big issue with that is he is the only primary rotation shooting better than 32% from three. Jaden Hardy is at 35.3%, but his playing time has been yanked around. P.J. Washington, who was a 38% shooter last year, is at 28.1% this year.

Nov 3, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Max Christie (00) dunks against the Houston Rockets in the fourth quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Jason Kidd Doesn't Believe Benching Klay Thompson is a Permanent Solution

Jason Kidd talked to Klay Thompson ahead of the starting lineup change on Wednesday, and he says he told the future Hall of Famer, "'This isn’t a permanent thing, but can you come off the bench?’ And he was good with it.”

Thompson responded well to it the first time, but this isn't something he's used to. Of the 873 games he's played in throughout his career, he started 821 of them, and most of the games he didn't start came in his rookie season. This is a new thing for him, and while he may be gracious for it not, that doesn't mean that will continue moving forward.

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