Lively II reveals how Mavericks can turn Klay Thompson into an unstoppable monster

Questions are rising on how the Dallas Mavericks can perform without Luka Doncic for an extended period of time as they have dropped four of their last five games.

Guys have been asked to step up and play bigger roles than usual during Doncic's absence, with many players including head coach Jason Kidd always going back to the "next man up" mentality that happened to work wonders for the team during Doncic's absence due to injury earlier in the season.

During this time, Klay Thompson seems he's finally found his form with his shooting. After what was arguably a rough start in a new uniform, Thompson has found his touch once again and looks like an elite shooter once again.

There is one adjustment that Mavs big man Dereck Lively II brought up during a press conference this month when it comes to fully utilizing Thompson's game, and the adjustment could turn Thompson into an unstoppable monster on the court that Kidd can unleash at any time.

Lively II thinks off-ball screens have helped unlock Thompson's game

In Dallas, there have been some growing pains when it comes to understanding Klay Thompson's new role and finding the best way to use him. It seemed like Dallas was wasting Thompson's talent by not giving him enough looks early on in games at the beginning of the season, but his volume has gone back up recently. Lively II understands how deadly Thompson can be when he is fully dialed in from three, and he recently talked about one thing that he's been doing that has helped unlock his game.

Lively II talked about how using Thompson as an off-ball screener has helped get him more involved, and he couldn't be more right.

Thompson started out his career as a major threat in the catch-and-shoot game. He then became known as an underrated defender while shooting at a high clip during his time in Golden State.

As time went on, Thompson started getting more involved in off-ball actions, and the Warriors even started using him as an off-ball screener to get himself and others more involved. We have seen Dallas use him as an off-ball screener, and this has helped get his teammates more involved while also pulling the defense away from Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving to give them better looks. Defenses are forced to stay close when guarding Thompson away from the ball, and him setting these off-ball screens will open up the floor for everyone else.

Lively II also acknowledged Thompson's defensive game, saying people will notice the one bad mistake instead of the little victories.

“I feel like everyone is going to criticize him, criticize anybody if they do one thing wrong, but they’re not gonna congratulate him for the 12 things you do right," Lively II said.

The memory of Thompson's shooting struggles seems to be a thing of the past. His last single-digit scoring game was back on December 3 in a win against the Memphis Grizzlies when he scored just four points, and now Captain Klay has plenty of wind in his sails.

Thompson has been more effective shooting the basketball lately, which was obviously what he was brought to Dallas to do, but Lively II presents a great point. Thompson simply needs to provide more opportunities for himself and others from Kidd using him as an off-ball screener. He is at his best when he is moving without the ball, and this plan encourages him to do that.

Thompson needs to continue to show that he can score in more than just the catch-and-shoot, and as Lively II talked about, he is beginning to do that. He is starting to attack the basket more and looks comfortable when doing so, and if Kidd can continue to find different little ways to get him more involved, the sky is the limit.