The Dallas Mavericks, through the first seven games of the 2025-26 season, are ranked dead-last in offensive rating. They're only scoring 103.6 points per 100 possessions, which would have ranked in the top-10 in the early 2000s, but is downright wretched in 2025. Their most pressing issues entering the year, namely their guard production, are coming to haunt them, and the way they labor to try and score the basketball is painful to watch.
Making matters worse for the Mavericks is the fact that Klay Thompson, whom Dallas signed to a three-year, $50 million deal in 2024, has been putrid throughout the new campaign thus far. Despite starting all seven games, he's only averaged 20.1 minutes per game, what with his scoring production falling off a cliff. He's averaging a paltry 8.1 points per game thus far on horrid 32/26/100 shooting splits, which is such a far cry from his level of play for most of his career.
In fact, Lou Williams, on Fanduel TV's Run It Back, thinks as if Thompson's talent has been siphoned by the Monstars from Space Jam, and that the Mavericks should start D'Angelo Russell in his place while he's waiting to get his talent back.
“They have to make some adjustments. Dallas needs a point guard. A guy like Klay Thompson who's struggling and looks like somebody got his Space Jam basketball and he needs it back. … At this point, panic and throw [Russell] in the starting lineup and see if that helps,” Williams said.
“Klay Thompson looks like someone took his Space Jam basketball and he needs it back… At this point, panic and throw [D'Angelo Russell] in the starting lineup and see if that helps.”
Lou Williams on the Mavs’ offensive struggles 👀
(via @RunItBackFDTV)pic.twitter.com/qWZC3xnZ0g
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) November 4, 2025
Thompson is playing worse than ever, and the reality of it simply may be that he is washed-up and can no longer produce the way he used to. But the Mavericks need to acknowledge that and move accordingly.
Mavericks' Klay Thompson might be completely washed
Thompson has had slow starts in the past, even during his heyday with the Golden State Warriors. But this level of play is not going to be acceptable, not for a Mavericks team that's already missing Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving.
The 35-year-old guard has had multiple horrible shooting nights this season; he's gone 3-11, 2-10, 4-13, and 2-9 in some games, and he doesn't make up for that kind of inefficiency with other contributions on the offensive end.
Starting Russell doesn't seem that appealing for the Mavericks, but at this point, they cannot afford to be picky. This Mavs team needs a shot-creating point guard, and Thompson is the likeliest candidate to give away his spot in the starting lineup considering his poor play.
