For the first time in his 80 games as a Maverick, Klay Thompson did not start Wednesday night. That, however, had nothing to do with why he was upset afterwards.
A 101-99 home loss to Western Conference cellar-dweller New Orleans was more than enough to cast gloom throughout American Airlines Center and the Mavericks locker room.
Perhaps especially at the locker of 35-year-old, four-time NBA champion Thompson. Yes, the Mavericks have been racked with injuries and again were short-handed against the Pelicans, but in Thompson’s mind that’s no rationale for Dallas’ 2-6 record.
“No, no,” Thompson told The Dallas Morning News. “Saying something like that would be an incredible copout. We’ve gotta take ownership for the product out there. We can all be better, especially myself.
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“It’s not the ideal start. Luckily we’ve got 74 games left, but we should have a very high sense of urgency to right the ship. All the nautical analogies.”
For Captain Klay the seas have been particularly rough this season. He entered Wednesday night averaging 8.1 points, 31.8% shooting from the field and 26.2% from 3-point distance.
Entering the game with 5:06 left in the first quarter, Thompson scored five points in 77 seconds, en route to his best offensive game of the season, a season-high 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting.
Thompson said coach Jason Kidd spoke to him earlier Wednesday about not starting, with D’Angelo Russell starting at point guard and rookie Cooper Flagg shifting to small forward.
Kidd said he told Thompson “‘This isn’t a permanent thing, but can you come off the bench?’ And he was good with it.”
That certainly seemed to be the case after the game, when Thompson spoke to The News in a mostly empty Mavericks locker room.
“I don’t mind,” he said of not starting. “I’m going to play. I’m gonna do great things. That’s coming. I know it is.”
Said Kidd: “I thought him coming off the bench gave us a spark.”
Prior to Wednesday, the last time he didn’t start was during the 2023-24 season with Golden State, when he started in 63 of his 77 appearances.
That season, however, was an anomaly. In the final 10 of his 11 seasons as a Warrior, and a little over a season in Dallas, he started 792 of 806 games entering Wednesday.
Amid a season like this, it’s easier to become philosophical – and understanding when the coach decides to make a lineup change.
“Of course,” he said. “I’m just happy to be here, my friend. Your 15th year? The heights I’ve seen? The lows I’ve seen? I’m just happy to be here. Because it’s hard to even make it this far in this business. You kidding me? Fifteen years? What?
“It’s hard, especially as time goes on. I see all my peers. It’s like the scene in Sandlot at the end, where they fade to the background. It’s kind of surreal.”
Thompson turns 36 in February, but he does not see himself fading. Staying with the oceanic analogies, he finally feels his sea legs beneath him after a slow season start.
“I can be better,” he said. “It’s going to be better, too. I promise. Especially myself.”
What makes him believe that?
“Because I’m feeling like those first five games were hard for me to get my wind and get my legs under me. Now, I’m finally feeling like myself again. And you just know as a shooter, when that ball is just effortlessly flicking off your wrist. You know big things are coming.”
High-flying action: See photos of Cooper Flagg’s alley-oop, more from Mavs’ game vs. Pelicans
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