During the NBA Finals, the Dallas Mavericks struggled to shoot the ball from long range. All-Stars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving failed to get anything going. In Game 1, Doncic shot 33 percent from the 3-point line, while Irving missed all five downtown attempts. As a team, Dallas shot 25.9 percent from behind the line.
Fast forward to Game 5, and not much changed. P.J. Washington missed all five of his 3-point attempts, while Doncic and Irving combined to go 5-18 from long range. Dallas combined to shoot 29.7 percent from the 3-point line, as they were eliminated in five games. In simple terms, the Mavs ran out of gas. They couldn’t match their shooting success from the Minnesota Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder series. Dallas’ perimeter shooting fell flat.
One solution to the Mavs’ shooting woes was the addition of Klay Thompson. The former Splash Brother had all the intangibles to help Dallas overcome their shooting struggles. Thompson is a 41.2 percent 3-point shooter for his career. He is great at being a catch-and-shoot player who can make it rain at any moment. He is also the sixth-best 3-point shooter in NBA history, as he could pass the great Reggie Miller at any moment. Thompson is 32 3-point shots away from moving up the ladder.
However, Thompson has failed to replicate his past success He is currently shooting a career-low 37 percent from the 3-point line this season. During his first month with the team, Thompson shot above 40 percent in his first two games. Things took a dip towards the end of October when he went 4-16 during the final two games.
Against the Thunder Sunday, he had his worst game shooting 12.5 percent from behind the arc. The problem is Thompson struggles to convert on his contested attempts. He has converted 16.7 percent of his contested shots when defenders are 2-4 feet away from him. This is a massive decrease from last season when he shot 39.5 percent on these looks. He has the opportunity to improve those numbers, as his 3-point attempts will continue to increase and he’ll get a better feel for his fit into the offense.
Thompson took a major leap Tuesday when he converted 55.6 percent of his 3-point attempts against the New Orleans Pelicans. His confidence continues to grow, even after having an off night, and that is something that Mavs players have struggled with for the last decade.
Some Mavericks fans get frustrated with Thompson shooting through cold spurts, but that part of his game is extremely important.
Having the ability to continue to let if fly even after a bad game is a lost art, and Thompson’s experience shined in his answer when asked about this.
“The shooting nights where I’m off, it used to really eat at me, but now, in my 12th season, it’s easier to rebound and get in the gym and think highly of yourself because the proof is in the pudding,” Thompson said. “If I give everything I have, I can live with the results.”
Thompson “staying the course” and keeping high confidence even after a rough game is key for his playstyle, and his confidence has been one of his many strengths this season.
Thompson has been resilient all season. Anytime he has an off-shooting night, he bounces back the next game. As mentioned, he shot 1-11 from the 3-point line against OKC on Sunday. He upped his shooting efficiency on Tuesday, going 5-9 from downtown.
Earlier this month, Thompson again showed signs of being able to bounce back. Against the Denver Nuggets on November 10, he went 1-6 from behind the arc. He struggled to knock down his open attempts, as he could not find any rhythm. A game later, he made 50 percent of his 3-point shots against his former team, the Golden State Warriors, and erupted for a monster game.
If anything, this just shows that Klay isn’t afraid to shoot the ball, even after shooting poorly the game prior. This is somewhat similar to Mavs legend Jason Terry. The former sixth man was excellent at bouncing back from poor shooting performances and being a release valve anytime Dallas needed a big bucket from downtown.
In the first round of the playoffs in 2011, Terry missed all of his 3-point attempts during the first two games. A game later, he shot 71.4 percent from beyond the arc. He made five of his seven attempts. Fast forward to the NBA Finals, and Terry continued to show perseverance. He shot 25 percent from the 3-point line in Game 4. This was below his Finals average of 39.3 percent. The following game though he made 60 percent of his attempted 3-pointers.
It is very possible Thompson can replicate Terry’s success. It wasn’t long ago Klay mentioned Terry as his inspiration for his number change. The life of a shooter includes plenty of ups and downs, and Mavs fans are experiencing that firsthand with Thompson.
As long as Thompson keeps shooting, his attempts will fall. Dallas will need to keep feeding him the ball and give him opportunities to be successful, and they have done particularly well when they emphasize getting him involved early in games.
Klay Thompson and the Dallas Mavericks will look to extend their winning streak on Friday when they take on the Denver Nuggets on the road.
