The Dallas Mavericks may have lost the 2024 NBA Finals to the Boston Celtics, but that only incentivized them to go all-in on their current roster.
Dallas has the stars in Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving to compete with anyone, but they managed to lure Klay Thompson away from the Golden State Warriors.
The Mavericks executed a sign-and-trade for the sharpshooting guard and he’ll now provide much more reliable floor spacing next to Doncic and Irving.
Doncic routinely saw extra defensive attention in the playoffs as the rest of the Mavericks roster struggled to consistently hit open 3-pointers.
That shouldn’t be as big of a problem for the Mavericks now that Thompson is on board.
Gilbert Arenas is high on Dallas this year and broke down how Thompson can positively affect Doncic’s game via Gils Arena Show.
“If you was averaging that many assists with what you had, and now you have a guy who’s a catch-and-shoot,” Arenas said. “Some of your assists will come without even any effort this time. You should average a triple-double. He will probably be the number one candidate for MVP.”
Gilbert Arenas believes Klay Thompson will contribute to Luka Doncic averaging a triple-double this season.
“If you was averaging that many assists with what you had, and now you have a guy who’s a catch-and-shoot. Some of your assists will come without even any effort this… pic.twitter.com/MU2ijLz2Fl
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) September 15, 2024
Thompson made a living with the Warriors feasting off open weakside 3-pointers next to Stephen Curry, and should find himself in a similar role now that he’s with Doncic and the Mavericks.
Doncic is one of the best playmakers in the league and routinely finds his teammates for open shots, so there’s some truth to what Arenas is saying as far as Doncic improving his assist numbers during the upcoming 2024-25 NBA season.
NEXT: Gilbert Arenas Makes Bold Prediction About Luka Doncic
