Klay Thompson destroyed in 'report card grade' for sluggish Mavericks start

Right before the NBA Playoffs began last season, Dallas Mavericks fans received a rumor that was hard to believe at the time.

Dallas was reported as a destination for Klay Thompson's impending free agency that summer and Mavs fans began to dream about how he would fit next to Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Thompson, being one of the greatest shooters ever, was someone who caught Mavs fans' eyes long before free agency began. Still, most fans kept their optimism low considering Dallas' inability to land prolific free agents in the past.

The playoffs came and went for Dallas, and after losing the NBA Finals to the Boston Celtics in five games, they were looking for more shooting. Dallas shot 31.6 percent from three against Boston, and they needed to get Doncic and Irving some help. Badly.

Dallas ended up completing a sign-and-trade for Thompson within the first few days of free agency opening, and Mavs fans rejoiced as the team finally landed a third scorer to pair alongside Doncic and Irving. The Mavs also ended their drought of missing out on big free agents, and Thompson signing with them helped prove that Dallas could turn into a free agency hotspot over the next few years considering their recent success and track record of keeping their star players happy.

Thompson's slow start with Mavericks earns a harsh C- grade

Despite all of this and all of the excitement that surrounded Thompson entering the season, the beginning of his Mavericks journey has considerably slowed down lately.

After a hot start to the season which included a 22-point debut and sinking 15 threes over his first three games, Thompson has cooled off. This month, he is averaging just 12.6 points per game while shooting 33.3 percent from downtown. Ups and downs are expected for a shooter like Thompson, but he is going to have to get better about consistently converting on wide-open attempts to be the best version of himself in Dallas' offense.

Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes put out "report card grades" for NBA stars who switched teams this offseason, and he did not think too kindly of Thompson's first month of Mavs hoops.

Hughes gave Thompson a C-, with his reasoning mostly pertaining to his statistical decline and "concerns about his defensive mobility." While Thompson's scoring numbers and shooting percentages are at an all-time low (outside of his rookie year when it comes to points per game), his defense has been much better than anyone has expected.

Jason Kidd often gives him tough defensive assignments to begin games, and he ended up collecting six steals over his first five games. His steals numbers have dropped heavily, as he only has two steals in the entire month of November which both came on Sunday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder, but his defense has not been the reason for his slow start with the Mavs.

The points per game decline can be attributed to the fact that he is now a third option rather than a second option, but he does need to ultimately be better for Dallas to be at their best. His struggle to knock down tightly-contested threes has quietly been a struggle as he is shooting 17.4 percent from three when a defender is within 2-4 feet from him on 1.6 attempts per game.

For context, Doncic is shooting 41.2 percent on these shots and Irving is shooting 41.7 percent on these shots. Thompson's looks are quite different from the looks that Doncic and Irving are getting from downtown, but still, he has to be better at sinking these tough looks.

Thompson shot 39.5 percent from three on these looks last season, and even though the sample size has been much smaller this season, he has to hone in on making tough threes considering how much off-ball attention he gets.

Regardless of all of the flack that the national media likes to throw Thompson's way, he should be just fine and get better as the season goes on. Thompson is notorious for slow starts, and this is the first time he has switched teams since his career began in 2011. Adapting to a new team and new playstyle isn't easy, and even Doncic has admitted that it hasn't been "easy" to fully get going with Thompson right away.

Even Hughes admitted that Dallas is better with Thompson on the floor, and the space that he creates for Doncic and Irving regardless of whether he is hitting shots is undeniable.

Thompson will have the chance to bounce back from his abysmal 1-11 shooting performance against the Thunder tonight against the New Orleans Pelicans, and the Mavs will need him at his best considering that Doncic is questionable with a knee contusion.