Averaged 8 points per game! What happened to 35-year-old Klay?

As we all know, the start of this year is crazy.

In less than two weeks, there have been 4 50+ times and more than 10 40+ times, including Benyama, Antetokounmpo, Maxi, Reeves, Jokic, Alexander and others who all performed at the MVP level.

However, while some are breaking out, others are sluggish. Some players have not found their form since the start, such as Klay Thompson.

Take the last game between the Mavericks and the Pacers as an example. Although the Mavericks narrowly won 107-105 by two points, Thompson's performance was very disappointing: he only played 22 minutes in the starting lineup, shooting 2 of 10 from the field, 1 of 6 three-pointers, and only scored 5 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist.

In the previous game, the Mavericks lost to the Thunder 94-101 at home, and Thompson's performance was not satisfactory: he started for 22 minutes, making 3 of 11 shots, 2 of 6 three-pointers, and only scored 8 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists.

The next three games:

- Against the Spurs, 4 of 13 shots, 1 of 5 three-pointers, 10 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist

- Against the Wizards, 2 of 7 shots, 1 of 6 three-pointers, Scored 8 points, 4 rebounds and 0 assists

- Against the Raptors, he made 4 of 7 shots, 2 of 4 three-pointers, and scored 10 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists

In five games, except for the game against the Raptors, which was slightly normal, none of the other four games reached normal levels.

Thompson's current per-game statistics are: 20.2 minutes played, 8.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 31.3% field goal percentage, 25.9% three-point field goal percentage (7 of 27 in total), and a true shooting percentage of only 41.2%.

For comparison, Thompson's regular season performance with the Mavericks last season: played 27.3 minutes, scored 14.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists, with a three-point shooting percentage of 41.2%/39.1%/90.5%, and a true shooting percentage of 55.2%.

Thompson's condition after returning from a serious injury was not as good as before, but objectively speaking, in the past few years, his performance was more unsatisfactory in the play-offs and playoffs. Looking only at the regular season, it was still very good. In the 2022-23 season, he also hit 300+ three-pointers with a 41.2% shooting rate in a single season, setting a career high.

Even the year before leaving the Warriors, that is, in the 2023-24 season, Thompson still averaged 17.9 points per game in the regular season and made 3.5 three-pointers per game with a 38.7% shooting rate.

However, this start to the season is very abnormal, because Thompson can't even make open three-pointers - after 5 games, Thompson's catch-and-shoot three-pointers are 5 of 24, with a shooting percentage of only 20.8%. His wide-open three-pointers (the nearest defender is more than 6 feet) are 1 of 11, with a shooting percentage of only 9.1%. He misses 1-2 wide-open three-pointers in almost every game.

Some people may say that Thompson has always been like this, starting slowly, so we might as well take a look at Thompson's first five games in the past few seasons:

——2024-25 season, averaging 15.6 points per game and shooting 38.8% from three-point range

——2023- In the 24th season, he averaged 16.8 points per game and shot 42.9% from three-point range

- In the 2022-23 season, he averaged 12.6 points per game and shot 31.0% from three-point range

-- In the 2021-22 season, he averaged 15.2 points per game and shot 36.1% from three-point range

Thompson is indeed used to slow starts, but it is rare to start as slowly as this year, and his sluggish state has affected the Mavericks. The data can also prove that in the five games since the start of the season:

- With Thompson on the court, the Mavericks scored 88.8 points per 100 possessions. Net loss to opponents of 22.4 points

- Without Thompson on the court, the Mavericks scored 111.0 points per 100 possessions, with a net victory over opponents of 3.3 points

At the end of five games, Thompson's cumulative plus-minus value is -51, ranking second to last on the team, only better than rookie Flagg (plus-minus value of -57).

Now that we have said that, we might as well take a look at the situation of the Lone Ranger.

Currently 2 wins and 3 losses, only ranked 12th in the Western Conference. Although Flagg has had bright spots, his overall performance did not meet expectations. The key point is that the thick eyebrow was injured again. He only played less than 7 minutes in the last game against the Pacers before he retired due to calf soreness.

Irving will not return until the end of the season, so the performance of the Mavericks in the first half of the game is crucial, especially in the Western Conference, where one careless step may lead to falling behind. This also requires the rest of the team to maintain a good start.

Just talking about Thompson, although he is 35 years old and has probably had the worst start of his career, because of his excellent shooting resume, I personally feel that there is reason to believe that Thompson can still regain his feeling as a shooter.

An explosive game will be very crucial. Judging from past games, Thompson usually only slowly regains his form after an explosive game - such as 40+ points in a single game or 10+ three-pointers in a single game. I hope that this year's start will not be a permanent decline.