The Golden State Warriors are finally missing Klay Thompson to some degree, having struggled to find an effective back court partner for Stephen Curry since De'Anthony Melton's devastating season-ending ACL injury.
While the Warriors are still trying to accomodate Dennis Schroder who's struggled since his arrival on December 15, Thompson is starting to take on an even more important role for the Dallas Mavericks who recently lost superstar Luka Doncic to a calf strain.
Former Warriors guard Klay Thompson is expected to explode this month
Doncic's injury on Christmas Day against the Minnesota Timberwolves is likely to sideline him for much of January, but more so than just the Slovenian's absence, history suggests Thompson is about to see a significant uptick in his performances.
As outlined by Jake Ferraro of The Smoking Cuban earlier in the week, Thompson usually loves January where he historically lifts his shooting percentages and subsequently his scoring volume.
"There's just something about the New Year that gets Thompson going, and Mavs fans could be poised to see more of the same this season once 2025 hits," Ferraro wrote.
Warrior fans may fondly remember Thompson's New Years day performance two years ago where his 54 points and eight rebounds led Golden State to a double overtime victory over the Atlanta Hawks. He also had another five performances of at least 26 points through that month, resulting in a 27-point average on 43.1% 3-point shooting.
Even last January Thompson averaged 20 points on 40.5% 3-point shooting, both of which were better than his final numbers for the season. The Mavericks will now be hoping for a similar rise in production, particularly without Doncic available in the lineup.
The 5x All-Star started this January with an efficient 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting and 4-of-8 from beyond the arc against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday, but it wasn't enough as the Mavericks fell 110-99 on the road.
Golden State did find offensive rhythm in Thursday's blowout 139-105 win over the Philadelphia 76ers, with Curry and Jonathan Kuminga leading an efficient performance that saw the hosts shoot 60.9% from the floor and 56.4% from 3-point range.
The Warriors have otherwise struggled significantly over the past month, having recorded the worst field-goal percentage in the league during December that culminated in a 4-9 record.
Dennis Schroder delivered his best performance in a Golden State uniform on Thursday, with the hope that the veteran guard can continue to acclimatize to the franchise and lessen the loss of Thompson that's currently being felt.