Mavericks are giving Klay Thompson the gift that the Warriors took from him

The Dallas Mavericks tipped off their preseason slate of games last Monday as they played the Memphis Grizzlies in their first of four games before the season begins.

While the game may not have resulted in a win, there were still many positive takeaways. One major takeaway from last Monday's loss to the Grizzlies was that the Mavericks have a deep training camp roster after the breakout performance by Jazian Gortman.

Despite losing against Memphis, the Mavericks still had plenty to hold their head up high on as Klay Thompson made his Mavericks debut against the Utah Jazz in Dallas' second of four preseason games a few days later.

Thompson was not only electric in his limited minutes on the floor but the former four-time champion also proved plenty of doubters wrong with his excellent on-ball defense. Thompson was often switched onto bigger players to draw mismatches but his aggressive playstyle resulted in plenty of deflected balls.

Klay Thompson's joy has finally returned in Dallas

Since joining Dallas over the offseason, Thompson has expressed his excitement to be a Maverick and his play during his debut only proved this.

It wasn't a surprise to basketball fans when Thompson favored joining a new team instead of sticking it out with the franchise he played with for the first 12 seasons of his career. While joining the Mavericks was still a shock, Thompson revealed how miserable he was in his last two seasons at Golden State in a recent viral YouTube video with Tristan Jass.

"The last two years were so tough for me," Thompson said. "I let so much other crap get into my head and I forgot why I really play the game."

Thompson went on to tell the audience that you should never let people's expectations dictate the way you play. Last season, Thompson nearly averaged 18 points on 39 percent shooting from behind the arc. For any other sharpshooter in the NBA, these numbers would be amazing, but because it was Thompson, this last year would be described as a down year by many.

In addition, Thompson was often scrutinized by Warriors fans for his bad shot attempts and lack of defense on the other end of the floor. Not only could Thompson be asked to take more shots in Dallas but the pressure to be one of the team's top two offensive players will be lifted off his shoulders with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving on the floor.

Since joining Dallas, Thompson has often described how excited he is to play for the Mavericks and for a team that has the potential to win a championship with him now on the roster.

Fans not only see Thompson's love for the game coming back since joining the Mavs, but the sharpshooter could have his best season since tearing his Achilles in November 2020. Thompson will likely get some of the most open-look shot attempts throughout a season since Kevin Durant last played for the Warriors in 2019.

Thompson will not only play with a weight lifted off his shoulders after leaving the Warriors, but the four-time champion is finally in a place where he feels welcomed. Under head coach Jason Kidd, Thompson will be asked to play his brand of basketball which only frees the 34 year old from expectations.