The NBA world witnessed something distracting in front of their eyes tonight! Yes, Klay Thompson stepped on the NBA court, suited up in the Dallas Mavericks threads. Something which many excitedly waited to witness and some did with a heavy heart. After spending his 11-season-long career with the Golden State Warriors, the 34-year-old took his talents to Texas. And, tonight, he made his debut for the Mavs in the preseason game against the Utah Jazz. Let’s find out how the beginning of the new chapter turned out.

China Klay had a delayed debut, as the team held him back in the preseason opener against the Memphis Grizzlies. Tonight, at the American Airlines Arena, the fans had the first glimpse of the all-new shooting duo, Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson. Unfortunately, Luka Doncic couldn’t make it to the grand debut because of a calf injury.

Nevertheless, all eyes were on Klay Thompson. With the flashbacks of his last outing with the Dubs, going 0/10 FG in a do-or-die game, the ace shooter had a quiet first quarter. Around the 9th minute in the 1st quarter, he had an opportunity to open his account from the free throw line off a rebound. But, it didn’t go through. It pretty much seemed like the story for the rest of the quarter.

Klay Thompson finished 0-3 FG with 2 assists in the first quarter, already leaving the Mavs fans disappointed. However, that wasn’t it. After the break, the hooper came back stronger with a 3-pointer in the opening minute of 2nd quarter. Coming off Daniel Gafford’s screen and collecting the ball from Spencer Dinwiddie, the star dropped his first field goal.

Notably, it wasn’t a pretty bucket, as it almost bounced off the rim. But, it’s a start to something. The 5x All-Star completed the quarter with 10 points, 3 assists with 3-9 FG and 3-5 3-point accuracy. After his 18-minute play, Klay Thompson didn’t return to the court, sealing an okay-ish debut. Importantly, it didn’t create any domino or ripple effect on the game, as the Mavs lost the game, 107-102.

How will Klay Thompson’s addition to the Mavs turn out to be?

Well, it’s too early to write off a player, especially someone as qualified as Klay Thompson. There are many instances where the ace shooter had struggled to get his rhythm right, but before the game finished, he would light up a single quarter by raining three-pointers. History indicates that there’s no need to worry about his progress. Thompson holds the record for most points scored in a quarter with 37 points, making all his 13 shot attempts against the Sacramento Kings on January 23, 2015.

So, it’s just a matter of time spent on the court. Moreover, when Luka Doncic returns from injury, the Mavs’ offense will be an entirely different story. The Slovenian star is known for running the play for the Mavs, dishing out 10 assists regularly. So, if he finds a shooter like Klay Thompson in his offense, then the game will probably turn into a shooting exhibition.

Above all, the ex-Warrior will increase the floor space for Kyrie and Doncic because of his perimeter threat. And it will in turn oil the Mavs’ offensive machine and also their chance at winning the title. Speaking of which, Kai said, “I feel like our dreams can be possible because he’s here now… He’s added a great value to our championship aspirations,” at Media Day.

Nevertheless, this is all just on the paper. While the speculation while go on forever, we’ve to wait until we see something on the court.

Before leaving, do watch the Dual Threat Show hosted by BG12 where Bulldogs’ Asia Avinger details her experience with Kobe Bryant, her WNBA ROTY picks, and more in the video below.