Klay Thompson bravely faces the biggest criticism of Luka Doncic

After just one game with the Dallas Mavericks, fans have already fallen in love with Klay Thompson. He set the record for most 3-pointers made in his Mavs debut and his performance on Thursday night against the San Antonio Spurs was excellent.

Thompson finished the game with 22 points, seven rebounds and three steals while shooting 6-10 from downtown, and while his shooting was his biggest strength in the game, his defense was also outstanding. He played solid perimeter defense throughout the game and showed that he can still move well laterally and defend at a high level when fully engaged.

Thompson is eager to “prove people wrong” when it comes to his ability to still defend, and Luka Doncic took a good step in the right direction to do the same against the Spurs. Doncic picked up a steal and a block in the contest, and when his offense was weak in the first half, he picked up the slack by competing on defense.

Like Thompson, Doncic is often heavily criticized for his defense, but his new teammate isn't letting that slide. When asked about Doncic's defense in the postgame press conference, Thompson didn't hold back about what he thought of the Slovenian superstar's play in that regard.

“Luka moves his feet and anticipates the offensive player very well,” Thompson said of Doncic’s defense. “I don’t think he gets as much credit in that respect, but he’s incredible on the boards and staying in front of the attacking player. I was very impressed with him.”

Doncic has had his fair share of criticism over the last five months when it comes to his defense, and Thompson's assessment of Doncic's abilities in that area reveals what kind of teammate and person he is. Of course, as his teammate, Thompson probably would never be the one to shut down Doncic's defense, but making the effort to praise Doncic and recognize the strengths of his defensive efforts is huge. Thompson clearly had fun playing with Doncic for the first time in the season opener, and while chemistry will take some time, the home opener was a great start.

Doncic was always looking for Thompson for open shots, and both players held their own on defense, proving the claim that Thompson's defense wasn't good enough to play alongside Doncic to be false. Defense was one of the many strengths of their two games and if they can consistently defend at a high level, the Mavs will undoubtedly be one of the top teams in the Western Conference again.

There seems to be a general consensus that Dallas' offense will be elite, but their defense will ultimately set them apart from the rest if they can stay consistent. It starts with their star players, and both want to show the league that they are competitors on both sides, not just one side. Thompson continued to praise Doncic during the postgame press conference and they are slowly taking steps to be respected on defense.