“I’m going to embrace the heck out of this opportunity,” Klay Thompson said when he was introduced as a Maverick for the first time. And there is no doubt that the Splash Brother intends to keep his word. After all, he did reveal that the biggest reason he chose Dallas was a fifth ring and their chemistry. But what if the Mavs decide not to give the 4x champion enough time on the floor to let him make an impact? To show, as Klay put it, there is “a lot of good basketball left in the tank”?

Just saying it aloud itself sounds ridiculous, right? But for Tim Hardaway Sr., it is very much a reality. And a reality, he hopes Thompson will not have to face. In the latest episode of All The Smoke, the Hall of Famer opens up about the Mavs’ way of handling his son, Tim Hardaway Jr., and how it could be a position the 5x All-Star might find himself in.

Perhaps to clarify what he meant, the ‘Crossover King’ starts with an example – Sam Hauser. When the Celtics put the 6’7 forward on Luka Doncic, what Dallas immediately does is run offense. “We running offense for you right away. They running plays for Klay right now. I hope they do run plays for Klay. It’s all up to Luka. Luka running the whole show,” Hardaway Sr. said pointedly.

You might argue now that Klay Thompson isn’t exactly in need of running plays. The man has an offensive skillset that allows him to create his own shot. However, China Klay is still getting back to his pre-injury form. There is no doubt that he has the talent, but the question is about how efficient he can be with that talent.

Moreover, ACL tear and Achilles injury back-to-back is no joke. Combining that with his age, whatever leg up Klay can get is more than welcome. And this is the first time he is playing with a group that is not the Warriors. Granted, Thompson did say that he was shocked by the chemistry within the team. But there is going to be an adjustment period.

More importantly, this is a team that is fighting for a championship. They got so close to it last season. Now that they got a taste of it, they are not letting go. And it wouldn’t be a stretch to assume that if they see someone holding them back from giving it their all, chances are they wouldn’t hesitate to pull them out. A circumstance Klay Thompson is all too familiar with (think of the benching and Kerr not closing with him).

The Heat legend, though, did not stop there. He explained why exactly it was necessary. “If you don’t run offense, your guys are just going to stand there and it’s going to be problems.” Problems that he saw being dumped on his son. Which he did not appreciate.

After warning Klay Thompson, Hardaway Sr. lashes out at Coach Kidd

Despite being a highly accomplished guard, the UTEP superstar never made it to the NBA Finals in his career. So, when he saw Jr. reaching heights he couldn’t, Hardaway was beyond thrilled. “It’s somewhere I was trying to get to as a collegian and as a professional, and he’s doing it. It means a lot,” he had said at the time. And then to see a drop in his son’s role would naturally upset him.

“First of all, as a Pops, it’s tough knowing that your son’s supposed to be out there and can help the team win,” he stated. “But for some reason, they’re not telling nobody. Jason, Nico are not telling nobody why he’s not playing, what’s the deal. And that’s the hard part,” he admitted.

More importantly, though, he felt it was disrespectful to him. “I played with you on the 2000 Olympic team. We got gold together. We’re in Hall of Fame together, we all in this fraternity together. And you are coaching my son and you don’t have the dignity to go to my son and just have him in the room and talk to him.”

The pattern was there. Since arriving in Dallas in 2018-19, Hardaway Jr. has always played nearly 27 minutes minimum every game. The 2023-24 regular season also saw him average 26.8 minutes and scoring 14.4 points per game. However, in 72 games, he started just 12, the lowest since his first season with Atlanta.

Looking at his numbers in the playoffs also tells a similar story. In the two playoff runs prior to 2023-24, the Michigan alum started all 13 games. However, in the 14 games that he played this year, Hardaway Jr. did not start once. A guy who was averaging upwards of 35 minutes a game saw a significant drop in floor time – 12.7 minutes.

Rather than the change, it was the lack of communication that Tim Hardaway Sr. found to be irresponsible. Hopefully, his son gets a better chance in Detroit. And Klay Thompson can avoid Hardaway Jr.’s fate.