There’s no space for fretting anymore! As the fans slowly get used to Klay Thompson’s Mavs connection, the conversations have moved to the technical realm. It goes without saying that the 4x NBA Champ has certainly elevated the Dallas side’s shooting prowess. Now, the question falls on his defensive abilities. Importantly, a senior NBA analyst made a bold prediction regarding the 34-year-old’s ability at the defensive end, citing his honest reaction to the Splash Brother’s latest 2K ratings.

Not to forget that this daring forecast from Mistretta came days after the Mavs’ owner Mark Cuban’s public declaration of China Klay’s role on the team. But, before we brush up on that statement, let’s focus on the star’s guarding skills. Clutch Points’ Mistretta opened up on the Locked On Mavericks podcast, saying, “2K actually gave him an 80 overall on defense which I was surprised.”

He further continued, “Shout out to 2K. Klay still is a respectable defender. He’s not the defender he once was and we’ll see if he can get back to that but he might be all right.” Capitalizing on the situation, the show’s host asked if Klay Thompson could make an impact on the defensive end with that rating.

Even though the analyst made it clear that 2k ratings “doesn’t mean anything,” he went ahead to make a bold prediction.

After stating the obvious that Klay would cause a massive dent alongside Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving at the offensive end, Joey Mistretta moved to the defensive end, adding, “The defense with Naji (Naji Marshall) and Quentin (Quentin Grimes), you might be all right. So if he (Klay) gets, if he’s an 80, yeah, I think that could be okay.” Undoubtedly, Klay’s defensive abilities have considerably gone down after his injuries. So, it’s indeed a bold claim! Now, it’s time to address what Mark Cuban made of the Mavs’ tactical shift.

Mark Cuban revises the playbook for Klay Thompson

The moment Klay Thompson left the Warriors fold, the star lost his #2 position. At Dallas, Luka and Kyrie have already taken over the top spots. So it ultimately pushed the sharpshooter down to the third rank. On the other hand, China Klay is set to have a whole new balling experience in Texas. At least that’s what Mark Cuban thinks. At the Bay Area, even though KT mostly did catch-and-shoot, he had to make a lot of movement, like coming off the screens and running around.

Speaking of it, Cuban said, “At Golden State, he had to always be on the move. They had that motion offense where he was always coming off screens and running. You know, we don’t do that… Just standing in the corner and standing in the wings, just catch and shoot from Luka and Ky, hopefully, his life is gonna be a lot easier.” So looking closely at Cuban and Mistretta’s words, Thompson might’ve a lot of work to do on the defensive end.

Since the star’s role is reduced only to catch-and-shoot, Jason Kidd might expect the champ to move his muscles on the defensive end.

With two superstar guards on the sides already, which position will Klay Thompson play with the Dallas Mavericks?

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.