Klay Thompson reportedly left the Golden State Warriors because he felt a lack of respect from the organization. Anthony Slater of the Athletic stated that Thompson was under the impression that the team was constantly trying to replace him by drafting players at his position.
“This split is a major stunner across the league, given the deep history between the Warriors and Thompson, but it’s been trending this direction for a couple seasons, as Thompson’s extension talks stalled, his role shifted, the team failed to make the playoffs, the Warriors drafted (Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski) and extended (Jordan Poole) possible replacements under him and he never felt reciprocated love from management about his firm place in the franchise’s plans, league sources said.”
Although Klay Thompson’s feelings are understandable, his emotions led him to join a team that would respect him less in the long term. Klay signed a three-year contract with the Dallas Mavericks for $50 million.
Klay Thompson’s potential role on the Mavs
The Mavericks have two players on their roster whose favorite play type is isolation. Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving have spent 20.6% of their offensive possessions in isolation since the 2021-22 season, averaging a minimum of 4.9 per game.
Both players have been the catalysts behind Dallas’s ranking in the top five in isolation possessions since the 2021-22 season, averaging 11.2 per game. Dallas’ isolation-heavy offense has caused most wings on their roster to stand behind the arc for most offensive possessions.
For example, Doncic, Derrick Jones Jr, and PJ Washington stood behind the arc early in the first quarter of Game 5 vs the Clippers. The three players watched Irving begin isolating Terance Mann on the left wing. Irving drove to the basket and attempted a floater before reaching the restricted area.
Klay Thompson will undoubtedly excel in the catch-and-shoot role because he is very efficient on those types of threes. Since 2016, Klay Thompson has shot 40.8% on catch-and-shoots on 6.7 attempts per game.
The Ryan Anderson in Houston comparison
However, Klay Thompson’s role should be similar to Ryan Anderson’s with the Houston Rockets from 2016 to 2018. Houston’s best player at the time was James Harden. From 2016 to 2018, James spent 29.3% of his possessions in isolation, averaging 8.4 per game.
Consequently, Ryan Anderson spent most possessions standing behind the arc, shooting catch and shoot threes. In 2016 vs the Warriors, James dribbled the ball up the middle of the court until he reached the three-point line.
He realized that the Warriors players were standing underneath the arc. Consequently, he passed the ball to Anderson, who stood behind the arc on the left wing. Anderson made a lightly contested three.
Anderson attempted 5.6 catch-and-shoot threes in 2 seasons with Houston, 61.5% of his shots per game. He converted 39.8% of the attempts during his time in Houston. Despite Anderson’s effectiveness, Houston traded him to Phoenix in 2018. The organization believed at the time they had options on the roster in Carmelo Anthony and PJ Tucker.
The stylistic similarities between Doncic, Harden, and Irving make Anderson an ideal comparison for Klay Thompson’s upcoming tenure in Dallas.
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