Nobody puts Klay Thompson in a corner—except for Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.
Cuban recently spoke about Thompson’s potential new offensive role on Jalen Brunson’s Roommates Show podcast, and it seems like the two-way All-Star player's on-court expectations in Dallas will be significantly reduced.
Whereas Thompson was constantly moving off the ball in the Golden State Warriors’ motion offense, Cuban said he really only needs one thing from the veteran sharpshooter this upcoming NBA season.
“Obviously, the big addition was Klay,” Cuban said of the Mavs’ offseason moves. “Just somebody who you have to face guard, who’s going to make 40%... You know at Golden State, he had to always be on the move. They had that motion offense where he was always coming off the screens and running. We don’t do that, or not nearly as much. I’m sure we’ll run some of that action for him, but just standing in the corner and standing in the wings, and just catch and shoot from Luka and Ky. Hopefully his life is going to be a lot easier.”
Thompson, 34, signed a three-year, $50 million deal with the Mavericks in July, leaving the only franchise he’s ever known. The former Warriors star shot 38.7% from beyond the arc last season, which marked just the second time in his historic 13-year stint at Golden State that he shot below 40%.
Yet, even in the twilight years of his career, Thompson serves as a reliable outside threat whose presence on the court can stretch defenses, whether he’s in a starting role or coming off the bench. Based on Cuban’s comments, Thompson will embody just that—and it may be in the Mavericks’ best interest, considering Thompson is coming off an underwhelming campaign in which he produced his lowest scoring output since the 2012-13 season.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Mark Cuban Thinks Klay Thompson Can Be Great for Mavs by Doing One Simple Thing.
