Klay Thompson has more than enough reasons to look forward to the 2025-26 NBA season.
After losing Luka Doncic, the Dallas Mavericks hit the jackpot when they won the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery, which allowed them to add Cooper Flagg to the team. Meanwhile, Kyrie Irving is expected to return sooner than projected from an ACL injury.
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But aside from those, Thompson says he is also eager for the next NBA campaign to start because he has a different role on the team.
“I’m the oldest guy on the team, so it’s crazy how quickly that happens,” he admitted. “I got to lead these guys with my voice, and I never really had that back in Golden State.”
Klay knows how to get there
Not only is Thompson the oldest and longest-tenured NBA player on the team, but he is also the most decorated one in terms of championship experience.
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However, more than knowing how to perform when the lights are brightest, the legendary shooter says championship experience is understanding and conquering the small steps needed to get to the big dance. That’s where his new role is going to be crucial.
“Now, I have a different calling to use my championship knowledge and show these guys it’s a journey. You know, you know this better than anybody. Like when you go for a championship, you can’t just say, ‘We’re going to win a championship.’ You got to take it week by week. You got to get to that 60-win threshold or the high 50s because once it gets to the playoffs, it’s the war of attrition, and we just got to peak at the right time,” he added.
Title contender?
Peaking at the right time will be key for Dallas as they start the season without Irving. With optimism that the All-Star guard will return before the start of 2026, many expect the Mavericks to finish strong and challenge the defending champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder.
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While the early title odds have Dallas as the eighth-best team in the West, Charles Barkley thinks that at full strength, the Mavs are right behind the Thunder as the second-best team in the conference.
“Let me tell you this, that Dallas Mavericks team, they might be the second-best team in the West if they could ever get healthy,” the Hall of Famer said during his interview with Kate Constable and Cam Smith on BET MGM Network. “Obviously, Kyrie is going to come back mid-season, but if AD can get healthy, and that boy Cooper Flagg, he’s the real deal.”
Health is always a big question mark for the Mavericks, most notably Anthony Davis. Still, he played a career-high 76 regular-season games in his last year with the Los Angeles Lakers, which should make Dallas fans optimistic.
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If he stays healthy, Flagg justifies the hype and Irving returns throughout the regular season, the Mavericks should have a legitimate chance to at least come out of the West. That’s where Thompson’s experience could be a game-changer, and he seems ready for the challenge.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 1, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.