In the game-to-game, dribble-by-dribble world of the NBA, overreactions are standard operating procedure.
Klay Thompson understands. He said earlier this season that he steers clear of social media because one night you’re the best shooter in history and the next night, you’re a bum.
And he’s been both already this season, if you are an online addict.
However, if four championships and a dozen years playing in this league have taught Thompson anything, it’s that you can’t believe everything you read or hear and that things, invariably, will change.
“I’m telling our strength coach that all the time,” Thompson said after he nailed five of nine three-pointers in the blowout win over New Orleans on Tuesday. “I’ve been through so many seasons like this where you might be inconsistent from the arc, but it just takes one great explosive night for me to really get going.
“I don’t really care how many shots I get. I just want to be as efficient as I possibly can. Just stay the course and I’ll have some really big nights here in the future. I can feel it.”
Thompson has shot 37 percent from beyond the arc in the first 15 games this season. That’s OK. In fact, it’s pretty good for most NBA players.
But Thompson is a career 41.2 percent shooter, which is exactly what his success rate was two seasons ago.
It stands to reason that his percentage is going to level out about where it always does for Thompson.
Last weekend, he had a 1-for-11 shooting night at Oklahoma City. And the Mavericks won. On Tuesday, he bounced back with the 5-of-9 showing Tuesday, when he had 19 points and the Mavericks won.
That’s what savvy, veteran players do.
But what’s interesting about the early chunk of this season is that Thompson’s attitude is having a positive impact in the locker room.
“He could teach us all – in life, it’s not always going to be perfect,” coach Jason Kidd said Thursday as the Mavericks departed for a three-game trip starting in Denver on Friday. “He didn’t shoot the ball well, but he did other things well, in that Oklahoma City game.
“But he came back the next time and made some. The life of a shooter.”
And don’t underestimate the impact of how Thompson handles his ups and downs.
“He can help (Jaden) Hardy and Q. (Quentin Grimes) and those guys understand it’s about the next one,” Kidd said. “We’re lucky to have him. I truly believe those 1-for-11s will only make you better. And he’s a future hall of famer and one of the best shooters in the history of the game that we can learn from.
“It’s not always going to be 11-of-11. When you look at those games, it’s the next one you judge. And I think he’s bounced back every time he’s had a tough shooting night.”
That’s true, for the most part. Thompson has had four games this season when he’s made 20 percent or less of his shots from three-point land.
In three of those games, he came back to shoot at least 50 percent in the subsequent game.
Thompson’s ability to address his current situation, rather than dwell on the past (good or bad) is something teammates have noticed.
“One hundred percent,” said Daniel Gafford. “You can’t focus on what happened in the past. We always got to focus on what’s ahead of us. That goes back to the Kung Fu Panda quote that Master Oogway said. It’s a real good quote and a real good Disney movie, for sure.”
For those not familiar, the line is: “Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. But today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.”
In an 82-game marathon, staying focused on the here-and-now is not always easy, but with a veteran like Thompson on hand, the Mavericks are learning.
X: @ESefko
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