Klay Thompson impresses in Dallas Mavericks' preseason debut

After a rocky first quarter for the newest Maverick on the court, Klay Thompson showed a glimpse of what's to come during his tenure in Dallas on Thursday.

Thompson scored 10 points on 3 of 9 shooting in the second period, including 3 of 5 from behind the arc. His first appearance as Maverick came from a screen and danced around the perimeter before finally coming home and giving the AAC preseason crowd reason to cheer.

“I was nervous for about four days,” Thompson said after the game. “So nervous. I haven't felt this way since the first game of the 2015 Finals. It felt so good to just go out there and get rid of the nerves because it was a new experience.”

His skill was also evident when he hit Dereck Lively II twice in the second quarter and made some nice finishes at the rim. Thompson also found Kyrie Irving at midfield in the first quarter for his three assists in 18 minutes played.

Defensively, Thompson looked solid, moving his feet well on closeouts and fighting for screens to prevent Utah's shooters from getting open shots. Utah tried to get him involved early and often, but Thompson held his own and did well on defense.

“It's great when you have offensive players like Luka and (Kyrie) because you can focus on protecting the guys,” Thompson said. “I still want to get rid of the idea that I’m not the same defender I once was.”

On Thursday, Thompson made his first appearance for the Mavericks after signing a three-year, $50 million contract this offseason to leave the Golden State Warriors, where he spent his entire career and won four NBA championships.

Although he only played the first half, Thompson showed what he can bring to this Dallas season this year and hopefully in Dallas' two remaining preseason games (Monday, 9:30 p.m., @ Los Angeles Clippers, Thursday, 6:30 p.m.). team (against the Milwaukee Bucks) will pair Thompson with his superstar teammate Luka Dončić before Dallas starts the regular season in two weeks.