Klay Thompson offers Mavericks something no other player does to begin this season

Life has changed quickly for the Dallas Mavericks, and they're now in a favorable situation to return to the level of one of the top contenders in the Western Conference. As they get ready for the 2025-26 season, the shooting prowess of Klay Thompson is going to be one big thing that helps them reach that goal.

Thompson is basically the only player currently rostered that you could say is regarded as an elite shooter around the league. And yes, I'm still not relinquishing that title from him. Klay may not be the exact player he was a decade anymore, but I'm still putting him in the category of a sniper from beyond the arc.

Who are the next-best shooters on the Mavs' roster right now? Kyrie Irving is probably the only other guy you could say is even in Klay's stratosphere. And with Irving set to miss the start of the season, it emphasizes Dallas' need for Thompson's skill that much more.

Klay Thompson's offensive gravity will be huge for the Mavericks

Klay's situation changed quite a bit from the time he joined the Mavericks until now. When he signed up to make the move to Dallas, he did it thinking he'd be able to play alongside Luka Doncic, and potentially ride out the rest of his career alongside the superstar. But then when number 77 left town, it seemed that the vision Thompson had when he arrived with the franchise was a mere memory.

All that changed when Cooper Flagg entered the equation. Now, with a new budding franchise superstar on board and other supporting pieces added, the Mavs' dreams of making it back to the NBA Finals are move alive than ever. And with that should come added motivation for the likes of Klay Thompson.

With no Irving to begin 2025-26, Dallas will likely get a huge lift from just having Klay on the floor. The offensive gravity he creates is going to create plenty of space for the Mavericks' offense to operate, and he'll likely end up being a key cog in getting them going early into the campaign.

The story that Mavs fans were hoping would play out for Thompson upon his arrival to Dallas is alive once again. The duo of Flagg and Anthony Davis will benefit massively from having an all-world shooter like Klay running around them, and it could be the very thing that pushes the Mavericks back into championship contention.