Klay Thompson is destroying Mavericks fans' biggest doubt with Doncic sidelined

This season when Luka Doncic doesn't suit up, the Dallas Mavericks have a record of 7-6, but from December 19 to now, their record is 2-5. Mavericks fans were dealt a major blow on Christmas Day when Doncic went down with a calf strain, and they're battling for their lives right now.

The Mavericks, who were battling for the 2-4 seed in the Western Conference have now dropped to the 6th seed and are reaching play-in territory seeding as they've dropped four games in a row.

Since Nico Harrison has taken over as the Mavericks general manager, he has done his best to build and construct a roster that fits around Doncic. The only problem with that as of lately is that sometimes players can't perform to the best of their abilities when he's sidelined, with that being extremely true recently.

Fortunately, that hasn't been a problem for the Mavericks' biggest offseason addition, Klay Thompson. Mavericks fans were concerned that his play would decline with Doncic out of the lineup considering that they spend so much time on the floor together when both of them are healthy, but that hasn't been more false.

Thompson is finding a way to contribute even without Doncic

Since the 19th of December, in games that Doncic doesn't play in, Thompson has still been very effective and has been one of the main reasons why Dallas is still competing against high-level teams.

In the six games played without Doncic since the 19th, Thompson is averaging 15.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.7 steals per game. He's also shooting 44.7 percent from the field and around 36 percent on threes during that stretch.

In those six games the Mavericks are 2-4, but Thompson has managed to still be a positive +3 in his overall plus-minus numbers in that time being.

When Doncic is on the floor with Thompson, the Mavericks are typically running off-ball pin downs and setting flare screens to find a way to get the sharpshooter open shots.

Due to Doncic's injury though, things have changed and it seems that the Mavericks may have unleashed an old past skill that Thompson used to utilize more often in his 12-year stint with the Golden State Warriors, which is creating shots for himself.

Lately, Thompson has been catching the ball on the wing and working out of the pick and roll to either get a more open 3-point shot, get to his mid-range bag, or even find the roller which is typically Dereck Lively II or Daniel Gafford.

Thompson has dealt with some hefty injuries in the past but has managed to be one of the healthiest and most available players on this roster as he has played in 30 out of 35 games this season.

If the Mavericks want any hopes of winning games while Doncic is supposed to be sidelined for the majority, if not all of January, Thompson will have to continue to step up and find ways to contribute.