Klay Thompson eyes a ‘complete’ comeback! Times have certainly changed in the blink of an eye. Not long ago, Dub Nation was worried about their ace shooter’s departure, and now, the 34-year-old star laid his road for the future with the Dallas Mavericks. Tonight, the star made his debut in the Mavs’ threads in the preseason game against the Utah Jazz. Following an underwhelming performance, Thompson swore to start with a clean slate, erasing his key flaw.

When the former Splash Brother actually became a thing for the Warriors, Thompson’s only weapon wasn’t his shooting skills. The shooting guard could produce lockdown defense on his opponents. While Draymond Green used his balling IQ on both offense and defense end, the 5x All-Star supported him with his tenacious on-ball defense. The duo should have earned the title ‘Defense buddies’ for their efforts. Nevertheless, the two grave leg injuries post-2019 slowed him down on the defensive end. At least that’s what the analysts said.

More importantly, Klay Thompson seemed to have had enough of the criticisms of his defensive abilities. And it looks like he wants to undo it with the help of Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic. Following the game, the ace shooter said, “It’s great when you have offensive players like Luka and Kai because you can focus on guarding guys. I still want to get rid of the notion that I’m not the same defender I once was. I truly believe I am, and I’m excited to prove people wrong,” after the game.

Absolutely, there isn’t much pressure on Thompson to deliver offensively for the Mavs, as he is only the third-best player. As long as he sinks the necessary catch-and-shoot 3-pointers, Clay doesn’t really have much work in the offensive end. So, he can focus on guarding people.

Before we go back in the past and understand his defense ability, Thompson showcased it in tonight’s game. During the 10th-minute mark of the first quarter, the star guard turned up his cylinders and locked down the Jazz’s Keyonte George and ultimately made him fall short of the buzzer. Importantly, this was one of the many instances from tonight’s game. The 34-year-old really meant what he said today after the game.

How good was Klay Thompson’s defense?

Anyway, heading to history, Thompson hasn’t made it to the All-Defensive First Team. But, he earned his first defensive honor when he made it to the All-Defensive Second Team along with Draymond Green in 2019. However, many argued that the SG deserved a spot in the first team.

Green had already praised Klay’s defense, saying, “There’s not many guards that is better than Klay defensively.” And, disappointed with the snub, he also added, “He should’ve been first.” 

Moreover, even Kevin Durant, who was part of the Dubs at the time, said, “Yeah, but the people that vote on that don’t really know the game,” blaming the voters for the snub. Now that we have an understanding of Klay’s defensive skills, will he be able to get back to his previous level in the upcoming season? Let us know.

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.