Klay likens Mavericks preseason debut nerves to first Finals game originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Even after four NBA championships, Klay Thompson still gets nervous for … a preseason game?
After 13 years with the Warriors, the 34-year-old played his first game with his new team on Thursday night, suiting up for the Dallas Mavericks for the first time in a 107-102 preseason win over the Utah Jazz at American Airlines Center.
In speaking to reporters after the game, Thompson revealed he was quite nervous for his first game as a Maverick after signing a three-year, $50 million contract in the offseason.
“I haven’t been that nervous, I don’t think, since the 2015 Finals Game 1,” Thompson said. “It felt so good just to go out there and play and work those jitters out. It was a new experience, and it’s a natural feeling when you’ve been somewhere so long and to be somewhere new in a new environment. To finally put the uniform on, it felt amazing.”
Thompson scored 10 points on 3-of-9 shooting from the field and 3 of 5 from 3-point range in 18 minutes played.
“For him tonight, there’s a lot of positives,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said postgame. “He has some great looks that we all think that he’s capable of making, but he just never rushes. He never forces anything. He probably turned down some shots that we would encourage for him to take, but we trust that he’s making the right decision.”
Thompson will play a big role for Dallas this season, and with his initial preseason nerves out of the way, the five-time All-Star can continue preparing for the Mavericks’ regular-season opener against the San Antonio Spurs on Oct. 24 at American Airlines Center.
And then on Nov. 12, he returns to Chase Center for his first matchup against the Warriors.
