Klay Thompson Reveals His Early Impressions of Cooper Flagg at Mavericks Training Camp

Klay Thompson has entered a new phase of his career. He is no longer the quiet star playing in the shadows of Stephen Curry. He is now a long-tenured NBA veteran hoping to lead the Dallas Mavericks with both his play on the court and his voice off the court. 

Thompson recently spoke with Mavericks reporters about how he hopes to lead the Mavericks this season. 

“I remember being a young player in this league, and you are so impressionable from what you see the veterans do. And I want to lead by example, I want to show him how much it means to me. As he furthers into his career, he can be like, “Klay was my vet.” That’s honestly greater than any scoring night I can have going forward. Just leaving a great imprint on this franchise.”

The Mavericks’ No. 1 overall pick, rookie Cooper Flagg, is one of the players who could most benefit from learning from Thompson. Klay spoke to the Mavericks’ media about his first impressions of seeing Flagg on the court.

“Cooper did great. I’m most impressed he did not sit out one drill. I don’t care how many shots he misses, how many mistakes he makes. The fact that he’s in there and he’s competing every single drill, that’s what impresses me.”

Thompson knows what it takes to be great. He’s won four NBA championships.  He’s also played alongside some of the greatest players to ever play. Flagg is off to a good start; impressing someone with Klay’s pedigree is no easy feat.