Scalabrine says it's too early for Thompson's criticisms: "I just don't think that you could judge Klay until he plays with Luka and Kyrie"

Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson drew flak for his scoreless performance against the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night. But while many were quick to call out Klay for laying a big fat egg in his second preseason game with the Mavs, former player and 2008 NBA champion Brian Scalabrine isn't judging Thompson based on a single performance, much more a preseason game.

According to Scalabrine , it's wrong to expect that Thompson will still be the elite two-way player who once scored 60 points on 11 dribbles. However, you want him to be consistent, so there's a degree of worry. Still, he thinks it's too early to pass judgment on the 6'6" guard.

"I'm somewhat concerned," admitted Scal. "But I'll tell you what… historically, some of those shooters that work out in the offseason, then they get back to playing in the regular season, it takes them a little bit of time to find their rhythm. So I would give him at least a month before I made any harsh decisions on whether I think he's not good anymore."

Thompson can only be better

Thompson went 0-9 from the field, including 0-6 from three-point distance in 21 minutes of game time against the Clippers on Monday. One game earlier, California native shot 3-9 from the floor, including 3-5 from deep, while scoring 10 points against the Utah Jazz. If we included his last game as a Golden State Warrior last season, it's hard to blame critics for calling him 'washed.'

The four-time NBA champion went scoreless on 10 shots, including six three-point attempts during the Warriors' 94-118 loss to the Sacramento Kings in last season's play-in tournament. That marked only the fifth time in Klay's career that he didn't score a single point in a regular season game. However, despite witnessing three brutal performances from Thompson, Scal thinks it will be different when the regular season starts.

"I just don't think that you can judge Klay Thompson until he's playing with Luka and Kyrie," Scalabrine continued. "That's when he's going to be at his best. He's always been a great catch-and-shoot player. He's always been a guy that benefits off of other people. I don't think that he's going to go back to what he was, but it will be helpful. They'll have a good symbiotic relationship."

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A Klay away from winning the championship

Thompson left the Dubs last summer to sign a three-year $50 million deal with the Mavericks. Many hailed that move as a big upgrade for the Mavs, especially since they were outgunned by the Boston Celtics in the 2024 NBA Finals. Dallas GM Nico Harrison even said a few days back that they felt Klay would have been the difference in that series.

"I mean, it was a no-brainer for us, you know, especially after the Finals," said Harrison. "We knew that we needed…we felt that we were a Klay Thompson away, we felt."

At 34 years of age and after a pair of brutal injuries, Washington State product is no longer the "Splash Brother" that he was in the Bay Area. But with his ability to knock down the three ball, he is a player who opens up the floor for Luka and Kyrie to operate. As for being 'washed,' he's made too many three-pointers in his career to be judged by his shooting performance in his last three games played.

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