The Fading Splash: Klay Thompson’s ‘Washed’ Start Threatens Mavericks’ Timeline
The Dallas Mavericks’ 2025-2026 season was always going to be a fascinating, high-stakes experiment. Built around the post-Luka Dončić core of Anthony Davis and the injured Kyrie Irving, the franchise bet heavily on a veteran supporting cast to bridge the gap and cultivate their future star, rookie Cooper Flagg. No veteran acquisition was more emblematic of this calculated risk than the signing of former Warriors legend, Klay Thompson.
A quarter into the season, however, the bet on Klay Thompson is crashing. The five-time All-Star, famed for his consistency, perimeter defense, and rapid-fire shooting, has not merely struggled—he looks alarmingly like a player whose body has finally yielded to the twin toll of two major leg injuries and Father Time. Thompson’s performance has been so far below his career standards that the label “washed” is no longer a hyperbolic fan insult but a valid concern threatening to derail the Mavericks’ immediate plans and compound their mounting roster woes.
The Numbers Don’t Lie: A Career-Worst Slump
Through the first 20 or so games of the season, Thompson’s statistical profile is starkly disappointing and reveals the depth of his regression.
| Statistic | 2025-26 Mavericks (Early Season) | Career Average (Pre-Mavericks) |
| Points Per Game | 10.9 | 19.5 |
| Field Goal % | 36.8% | 45.9% |
| 3-Point % | 34.6% | 41.3% |
| Assists Per Game | 1.5 | 2.3 |
Thompson is posting career lows in scoring, field goal percentage, and three-point percentage. For a player whose entire value proposition rests on elite perimeter shooting, his current numbers are devastatingly inefficient.
The Missing Gravity
Klay Thompson’s greatest asset has always been his gravitational pull. Even on an off-night, defenses could never afford to leave him open. They chased him around screens, stuck to him on the weak side, and dedicated personnel to deny him the ball. This defensive attention created immense space for his teammates, including the current team’s primary scorers, Anthony Davis and Cooper Flagg.
This season, that gravity has vanished. Opponents are visibly sagging off Thompson, choosing instead to pack the paint to cut off Davis’s post-ups and Flagg’s drives. When Thompson is open, he often misses, validating the defensive strategy. When he attempts to generate offense off the dribble, the lack of burst and lateral quickness makes him a defensive target rather than an offensive threat.
The Bench Transition: A Demotion, Not a Solution
Head Coach Jason Kidd’s decision to move Thompson to a bench role—a necessary attempt to inject energy and stability into the starting five—highlights the seriousness of the issue.
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Accepting Regression: The transition to a reserve role is an implicit acknowledgment that Thompson is no longer a high-efficiency primary scoring option. While he can still have explosive nights (as seen in a recent 23-point performance against the Clippers), the consistency required for a starting wing is simply absent.
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Impact on the Second Unit: The intention of using Thompson to anchor the second unit’s scoring has also failed to materialize consistently. His poor shooting creates prolonged scoring droughts that the bench unit, already thin due to injuries, is ill-equipped to overcome. Instead of being a spark, he often stalls the offense with forced shots.
The benching, while understandable, places a significant burden on the 35-year-old veteran’s pride and complicates his role as a necessary veteran leader for the 18-year-old Flagg.
The Physical Decline: A Matter of Burst and Defense
The root of Thompson’s struggles is clearly physical. The combination of the ACL tear (2019) and the Achilles tear (2020) cost him two full seasons and fundamentally changed his athletic profile.
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Lost Separation on Offense: Thompson’s signature movement shooting relied on quick bursts to escape defenders on screens and the strength to land and instantly rise for a jumper. The quick-twitch muscle fiber needed for that immediate explosion seems diminished. He now looks slower running off screens and struggles to create the daylight he once took for granted, leading to heavily contested shots.
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Defensive Lapses: Once an elite perimeter defender, Thompson is now a liability in certain matchups. His recovery speed on closeouts is noticeably slower, making him vulnerable to blow-by drives. His inability to stick with quick guards forces the Mavericks’ already-struggling defense into rotation, leading to open looks for the opponent. For a team that desperately needs defense (especially with Kyrie Irving’s defensive absence), Thompson’s regression on this end is perhaps more damaging than his missed shots.
The Financial and Roster Ramifications
The biggest issue with Thompson’s perceived “washed” status is the financial commitment and the implications for the Mavericks’ future:
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The $50 Million Commitment: Thompson is in the second year of a three-year, $50 million contract, representing a significant cap hit for a team with limited financial flexibility. Paying $16.7 million per season for a player struggling to break 37% from the field is a massive drain on resources.
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Trade Deadline Complication: As the Mavericks struggle (currently sitting at 6-15), the front office must consider trading veterans to accelerate the rebuild around Cooper Flagg. Thompson, given his high salary and significant drop in production, becomes virtually impossible to move for a meaningful asset. Teams won’t absorb that contract without the Mavericks attaching draft capital—assets they desperately need but have already largely spent.
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The Anthony Davis Timeline: Davis, the team’s other major veteran star, is injury-prone and on a separate, short timeline. The entire purpose of signing players like Thompson was to win now and maximize the Davis-Irving window. Thompson’s inefficiency wastes those precious, fleeting high-level games Davis can provide.
Conclusion: A Long Road Back to Klay
The narrative around Klay Thompson has shifted from “veteran addition” to “albatross contract” in less than 20 games. He is symptomatic of the Mavericks’ larger problems: questionable roster construction and over-reliance on past greatness.
For the Mavericks to salvage this season and, more importantly, protect their future, they need to see one of two things happen:
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A Miracle Rebound: Thompson must find a way to simplify his game, focusing solely on catch-and-shoot opportunities, and increase his efficiency back toward the 40% mark, even if his scoring volume remains low.
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A Painful Separation: If the poor performance continues, the Mavericks will face the difficult choice of either burying him on the bench or exploring a costly trade where they attach assets just to free up the cap space needed to build around Cooper Flagg in the future.
Right now, Klay Thompson is a shadow of the “Splash Brother” dynasty. His current form looks “washed” and provides a harsh lesson that in the NBA, a legend’s name recognition and salary cap value mean nothing when the physical reality dictates an irreversible decline.
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