After spending the vast majority of his career as a starter – coming off the bench just 41 times across his first 12 NBA seasons – Klay Thompson has had to adjust to a much different role with the Dallas Mavericks this year.
The transition hasn’t always been easy, but head coach Jason Kidd has been impressed with how the veteran has embraced the change, according to Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com.
“For Klay, coming off the bench he’s been great,” Kidd said. “He’s playing his role at a very high level for us. Being able to anchor that second group, being able to get shots for him and then just his voice, not just on the bench or in the locker room, but also on the floor. For our young players, he’s been great.”
Thompson’s impact has shown up in the numbers as well. In 24 games as a reserve, he’s averaging 11.9 points per game while shooting 37.1 percent from three-point range.
Those marks represent a noticeable improvement compared to his production in eight starts, where he averaged 8.8 points per game and connected on just 27.5 percent of his attempts from deep.
Thompson has played 13 seasons for the Warriors and Mavericks. He has averaged 18.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 897 regular-season games.
He was selected to play in 5 All-Star games, and has won 4 NBA championships.
Southwest Notes: Eason, Williamson, Koloko, Thompson https://t.co/XdhLTfPOtA pic.twitter.com/xAeqqMTcpJ
— Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors) January 2, 2026
