The day is finally here when Klay Thompson makes his debut for the Mavericks. His first opponents? The Spurs. Yes, it will be strange seeing him in another uniform. But that’s the sight everyone will have to get used to, now that he has signed a $50 million deal in Dallas. As Klay finally gets a fresh start after the way things ended in Golden State, the big question is: Can he get his groove back after this big change? Well, Charles Barkley certainly has his doubts about the sharpshooter’s resurgence because of his own experience.

Addressing Klay’s debut ahead of the game, Chuck began by praising him, “I think it’s gonna be interesting. He was the best two-guard in the NBA for a span of X amount of years offensively and defensively. He’s a future first-ballot Hall of Famer.” Sure enough, Klay was a monster during his prime and many believed he was as good if not a better shooter than Stephen Curry.

But Barkley also revealed ONE key reason behind Klay’s recent struggles, “Everybody likes Klay Thompson, but no player gets better with age. Let’s stop that. And he got the two bad breaks with the ACL and the Achilles.” Yes, Thompson unfortunately had to sit out for two straight seasons due to major injuries and he has not been the same player since. Last season looked like the final straw in his Warriors’ tenure as he could only average 17.9 points and had one of the worst years of his career, by the elite standards he has set.

Obviously, Chuck knows exactly how injuries can derail a player’s career because that’s what happened to him. Late in his career, he suffered a ruptured left quadriceps tendon, and he knew it was time to hang his boots, denying a rumored move to the Sixers at 38.

“That’s the reason the Warriors wanted to move on. He’s not the same player… You factor in those two major injuries. They’re not like, those are really bad injuries… The old Klay Thompson… I do not,” Chuck added on Inside The NBA. But the Mavs fans seem to have faith in their newly added superstar.

Dallas fans shower Klay Thompson with love as he shines in Mavs debut

Despite Charles Barkley’s doubts, Klay Thompson was directly bumped to the starting lineup in his debut against Victor Wembanyama and Co. As the hooper was introduced as a Mavs player for the very first time, the home crowd in American Airlines Arena erupted and showered him with all the love. And the sharpshooter did not disappoint. He got his first points in the Mavs uniform right away as he hit a smooth pump fake followed by a mid-range jumper for an easy two.

Then, Thompson gave the fans what they came to see, as later in that quarter, he hit an insane turnaround three on an inbound pass. And in less than 19 minutes of play, KT had already scored a team-high 16 points. He also shot a highly efficient 4 of 7 from deep range, proving the critics wrong. Not only that, he also proved that he can still be a great defender, as he had 3 steals before the third quarter ended. Well, it sure looks like Klay is out for redemption, and his motivation could be to prove doubters like Chuck wrong.