Doncic and Irving's brutal injuries could spell disaster for Klay Thompson

As the Dallas Mavericks are doing everything they can to deal with their two superstars out, they must respond with someone taking over as the No. 1 option and helping weather the storm until they return.

The Mavs have officially hit rock bottom right now with Kyrie Irving out for one to two weeks with a back injury and Luka Doncic out with a calf strain. With the Mavericks now losing five straight, along with the fact that one of their toughest stretch of games is right in front of them, the injury situation is dire.

To add more salt to the wound, Daniel Gafford went down with an ankle injury against Memphis and didn't return. After the game, Jason Kidd said that Gafford is likely going to miss some time, and this team truly can't catch a break.

The injuries to Doncic and Irving mean a lot more than just missing games. It also means there is going to be a massive difference with Klay Thompson's game.

Thompson's success may dip without Irving and Doncic's creativity

Klay Thompson was projected to get plenty of great looks this season from Irving and Doncic's ball movement on offense. They are two of the best shot creators in the NBA, and their on-ball gravity is extremely strong.

It seemed like Thompson had figured out his rhythm in Dallas over the last few weeks, and is now making Warriors fans regret losing him, but Mavericks fans got a taste of what struggles Thompson could go through without Doncic and Irving.

Against the Memphis Grizzlies, with both stars out, Thompson was missing close-range and mid-range jumpers but also wasn't getting the same amount of opportunities to shoot his usual long-range shots. Opposing defenses aren't afraid to play Thompson tightly, so his shot-creating ability won't be the same without Doncic and Irving.

Irving's way of making the game easier for his teammates is what Thompson is missing right now. Irving's offensive creativity to find a slither of room in the most complicated ways to draw the defense in makes everyone's job look simpler, especially Dallas' shooters. It saves Thompson's energy down the stretch to be a shot creator of his own. Not to mention, Irving is a pretty solid passer, respectively.

As for Doncic, he's one of the greatest passers we've ever seen. He's able to find any of his teammates whenever they need the rock. Doncic's ability to feed the ball in the pick and pop is already at an A+, and he is always looking for Thompson when he's getting downhill. He's also able to find a man in the corner when the defense collapses on him, and that's where Thompson comes in.

Thompson being a catch-and-shoot guy will always be his philosophy, but Doncic and Irving opening things up for him was a highly anticipated subject for Thompson joining Dallas.

In his introductory press conference, Thompson actually cited Doncic and Irving as his attraction to play in a Dallas uniform. This was Thompson's perfect fit and potentially his last chance to get back to the NBA Finals, and now with both of his co-stars out, it's going to be tougher for him to find his rhythm on the court.

He isn't going to be getting the same wide-open looks that we saw him get early on in the season, and this was exemplified against the Grizzlies. Thompson finished with 15 points on 5-16 shooting, and he seemingly couldn't get anything to go down. Outside of his solid start in the first quarter, he wasn't playing with much rhythm when it came to his jumper, and something seemed off as he couldn't get into a groove. He still ended up having a decent game as his passing and defense were solid, but they are going to need to find a way to get him more open shots rather than forcing him to create his own shot.

Thompson's play has still been solid this year, but with both stars gone, his play may take a noticeable dip. Mavericks fans are going to have to find a way to accept this, and Kidd's gamesmanship will be put to the test as he tries to help his sharpshooter string together some good performances.