Some people are worried about ex-Golden State Warriors All-Star guard Klay Thompson . The former Splash Brother struggled to find his stroke in the preseason for the Dallas Mavericks , leaving people to think he is washed.
But former Boston Celtics captain Paul Pierce doesn’t buy that assessment. According to the 2008 NBA Finals MVP, Thompson’s actual value to the Mavericks isn’t in the preseason or even during the regular season, but it will be at playoff time when the games matter most.
“I think Klay’s value is really not going to show as much in the regular season as it will in the playoffs,” said Pierce on the ‘Ticket & The Truth’ podcast. “That’s what I’m thinking. As you get older, the regular season, you kind of try to get through it and you save those special performances when it really counts. My value for Klay will be more of what he brings in the playoffs. When he gets that down the stretch, he a champ dog, he can make big shots.”
Thompson struggled to find the mark in preseason play
Klay made his Mavericks debut during the team’s second preseason game against the Utah Jazz. In 18 minutes of action, he scored 10 points on 3-9 shooting, including 3-5 from three-point range. Thompson then followed that up with a cardio outing against the L.A. Clippers, where he went 0-9 from the floor in 21 minutes of action…