Dallas Mavericks star Klay Thompson will play against the Golden State Warriors for the first time this season on Tuesday for the Emirates NBA Cup. In a recent interview with Marc Spears via Andscape, Thompson talked about his mentality about facing his former teammates, Stephen Curry and Draymond Green.
The Warriors will celebrate Thompson’s return after he joined the Mavs during the offseason. According to ESPN, Curry will state to commemorate the time and legacy the four-time champion left in the Bay Area; and the organization will give out captain caps to the spectators in remembrance of “Captain Klay.”
While everyone’s excited to see him back at the arena, Spears had a chance to talk to Thompson and ask about his mentality heading into his return game.
“That chapter is over,” Thompson said. “I’m in the midst of trying to win here. There is no point in missing anything when we have such a great opportunity here to be great. There’s no point in looking back.”
The former other half of the Splash Brothers seems to have moved on from the team that drafted him. When asked if there’s something that he’s disappointed with when he left the Warriors, he said this:
“Not really, to be honest. That’s just how things go.”
However, the Mavs star cherishes the moments he’s had with the team. Thompson was also asked if he’s kept in touch with Curry and Green.
“I’m locked-in. Not really. I will see them when I see them. That’s it.”
Klay Thompson: ‘There’s no point in looking back’ at memorable Golden State #Warriors tenure. New Dallas #Mavericks star moves on, looks forward to entering his first game back in Bay Area. @andscape https://t.co/QaOVF6Y0xR
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) November 11, 2024
With the Mavs, Thompson is averaging his second-lowest scoring average. He’s averaging 13.8 points and 3.7 rebounds on 35.4% shooting from deep. His best game for Dallas this season was his debut game, where he scored 22 points and shot 6-for-10 beyond the arc.
Curry isn’t a fan of seeing Klay Thompson’s Mavs jersey
Having spent 13 years with the Warriors, seeing Klay Thompson in a different jersey feels strange. Even for his former teammate, Curry, who mentioned that it feels “weird” seeing Thompson wearing a Mavs jersey.
“It’s weird seeing No. 31 (on it),” I hate that.”
Stephen Curry on preparing for Klay Thompson’s return to Golden State on Tuesday & what it’s like seeing him in a Dallas Mavericks uniform:
“It’s weird seeing No. 31… I hate that.”
Brothers for life! ❤️🏆
Via. @NotoriousOHM pic.twitter.com/3CvUfvwC0r
— Courtside Buzz (@CourtsideBuzzX) November 11, 2024
During Thompson’s time with Golden State, he helped the team win four championships. Although he was with the Warriors for 13 years, he only played 11 years as he dealt with two season-ending injuries from 2019 to 2021.
Thompson averaged 19.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists. With the Warriors, he was a five-time All-Star, a two-time All-NBA player and a one-time All-Defensive NBA team member.
Over the past few seasons, Klay Thompson’s role with the team started to diminish. From a star, the shooting guard gradually became a role player and had inconsistent stretches.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen with Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
