Klay Thompson is renowned as one of basketball’s elite sharpshooters.
He ranks among the greatest three-point shooters in NBA history with a career 41.1% success rate from beyond the arc.
Thompson’s prime shooting years came during his Golden State Warriors tenure as Stephen Curry’s ‘Splash Brother.’
The former All-Star continues displaying shooting prowess with the Dallas Mavericks, including during this year’s preseason.
Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty ImagesKlay Thompson still guarding the best guards, but Jason Kidd won’t let him do that every night
Against the Charlotte Hornets, Klay Thompson scored 14 points while connecting on four three-pointers.
However, his highlight from that game extended beyond scoring, as he served as the primary defender on Hornets star LaMelo Ball.
During his Warriors prime, Thompson also gained recognition as an elite on-ball defender, regularly guarding opposing teams’ best perimeter players.
Despite now being 35 years old, head coach Jason Kidd believes Thompson can still compete defensively at a high level, though he won’t assign such duties regularly.
“Well, Melo’s a little different because he can score and pass, but tonight was something we needed to see. Making it tough on Melo it’s not easy because he’s going to have the ball 90% of the time, but I thought he [Thompson] did a good job,” Kidd explained.
“I thought he picked us up on the offensive end by being able to knock down some shots, but I thought Klay can compete at that level at this stage of his career.
“We’re not going to ask him to do it every night, but I think tonight he showed he can compete,” he added.
LaMelo Ball’s production suggests Klay Thompson shouldn’t receive regular primary assignments
In that game, Ball still excelled despite Thompson’s defensive attention, producing 20 points and six assists in just 23 minutes.
The performance suggests that while Thompson retains defensive capability, asking him to regularly guard elite ball-handlers may not represent optimal strategy.
History demonstrates Thompson possesses the skill to defend premier guards, but age and accumulated mileage make such assignments less sustainable.
Fortunately for Dallas, they have excellent defensive options to share that burden, including rookie Cooper Flagg and versatile forward PJ Washington who can defend multiple positions including guards.