"You can't relax any given night" - Klay Thompson on the toughest players to guard

Klay Thompson isn't just one of the best shooters in the NBA, but he's also a lockdown defender. The Dallas Mavericks guard often matches up with the best offensive players on the opposing teams.

Toughest matchups for Klay

This special assignment made reporters curious about the toughest matchup for the former Golden State Warriors guard. Thompson didn't name one individual but mentioned some of the best offensive players in history.

"I'm happy I don't have to check Kyrie anymore, that's for sure," Klay said of Irving, who had been traded to the Boston Celtics then. "He is tough. But LeBron, Kobe, James Harden, Russ Westbrook, Dame Lillard, Kyrie... I mean, we're so blessed the league is full of great talent who all do things differently and at such a high level that you can't relax any given night."

It's a fair assessment. All of the names Klay mentioned have very different playstyles and unique scoring capabilities. This makes it difficult for Thompson to categorize them because each matchup poses different troubles.

Nevertheless, the 6'7" guard's lockdown abilities have received praise from fans and colleagues. In 2019, he was selected into the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. While it was a great milestone, many felt that Klay should've been recognized multiple times earlier.

Related: “He wants to come to the cookout but we’re not inviting him no more” - Charles Oakley on his disdain for Charles Barkley

Now Thompson is teaming up with Kai

Some felt that the four-time NBA champion's defensive abilities had withered. They observed that he wasn't as quick and sharp as before. While analysts might be right, dismissing Thompson's abilities is foolish. Now, with a new team, Klay might have pressed the reset button on his career and could be better than ever.

The California native shocked the world when he decided to take his talents to Texas, but it was a move that made a lot of sense. The Warriors are on the cusp of rebuilding, with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green at the tail end of their careers.

Everyone saw how the Mavericks cruised to the NBA Finals. When they got there, their weaknesses were crystal clear: They didn't have a steady stream of offense, and Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving could only do so much.

As such, Klay's role will be spot-up shooter and lockdown defender—pretty much like what he did in The Bay. Whether this works or not is a matter of wait-and-see. However, one thing is certain: it will be an exciting time in Dallas.

Related: Report details reasons for Klay's hesitancy to play for the L.A. Lakers: "Would this be trading one fishbowl for another?"