Klay Thompson boldly confronts the biggest critique of Luka Doncic

After just one game with the Dallas Mavericks, fans have already fallen in love with Klay Thompson. He set the record for most 3-pointers made in a Mavs debut, and his performance on Thursday night against the San Antonio Spurs was excellent.

Thompson finished with 22 points, seven rebounds, and three steals while shooting 6-10 from downtown, and while his shooting was his main strength from this game, his defense was outstanding as well. He played solid perimeter defense all game long, and he displayed that he can still move well laterally and defend at a high level when fully engaged.

Thompson is on a quest to "prove people wrong" when it comes to his ability to still defend, and Luka Doncic took a good step in the right direction to do the same against the Spurs. Doncic collected a steal and a block in the contest, and when his offense was poor in the first half, he picked up the slack by competing on defense.

Thompson was 'very impressed' by Doncic's underrated defense

Like Thompson, Doncic is often someone who is heavily criticized for his defense, but his new teammate isn't going to let any of that fly. When asked about Doncic's defense in the postgame press conference, Thompson didn't hold back about what he thinks of the Slovenian superstar's play on that end.

"Luka moves his feet, and anticipates the offensive player very well," Thompson said of Doncic's defense. "I don’t think he gets as much credit on that end, but he is incredible on the boards and staying in front of the offensive player. I was very impressed with him."

Doncic has been through the wringer over the last five months when it comes to criticism of his defense, and Thompson's take on Doncic's ability on that end is telling of the type of teammate and person he is. Of course, Thompson would likely never be the one to knock Doncic's defense as his teammate, but going out of his way to praise Doncic and recognize the strengths of his defensive effort is huge. Thompson clearly enjoyed playing with Doncic for the first time in the season opener, and although chemistry is going to take time, the home opener was a great start.

Doncic was always looking to find Thompson for open shots and both players held their own on defense and proved the narrative that Thompson's defense isn't good enough to play alongside Doncic wrong. Defense was one of the many strengths of both of their games and if they can consistently guard at a high level, the Mavs are going to indubitably be one of the top teams in the Western Conference once again.

There seems to be a general consensus that Dallas' offense is going to be elite, but their defense is what will end up separating them from the rest if they can remain consistent. This starts with their star players, and both of them want to show the league that they're competitors on both ends, not just one. Thompson's praise of Doncic was constant during the postgame press conference, and they are slowly taking steps toward being respected on defense.