NBA Preseason: Warriors legend produces mixed bag in Mavericks debut

Former Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson made his much-anticipated debut for the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday, albiet in a preseason game against the Utah Jazz at American Airlines Center.

There were plenty of reasons for optimism but also a couple of cautionary points for the Warrior legend, with Thompson playing 18 first-half minutes in the 107-102 loss to the hosts.

Former Warriors guard Klay Thompson had mixed results in his preseason debut with the Mavericks

Playing alongside Kyrie Irving but without MVP candidate Luka Doncic, Thompson had a slow start in missing three shots during his first six-minute stretch in the opening period. He returned later in the first-quarter and knocked down one of two free-throw attempts, before making his first field-goal with a signature three off a pin down screen to begin the second-quarter.

That was one of three made triples for Thompson in the second period, with the 5x All-Star finishing his preseason debut with 10 points on 3-of-9 shooting including 3-of-5 from three-point range.

The shooting efficiency wasn't totally there, but the looks Thompson got were generally very good. The 34-year-old also found Dereck Lively on a couple of occasions as part of three assists for the game, with an apparent connection there reminiscent of that with Trayce Jackson-Davis at the Warriors last season.

Thompson's individual defense was also a highlight for Mavericks fans, particularly given that was/is a major concern following his acquisition. However, the plus-minus was less than ideal for the 4x NBA champion, having finished a game-low -19 in a first-half where no other player was worse than -11. All in all it was an encouraging performance for Dallas fans, though not one in which you can draw too many conclusions.

Another former Warrior guard, Ty Jerome, also made his first preseason start in the Cleveland Cavaliers 129-117 loss to the Indiana Pacers at RocketMortgage Fieldhouse. Jerome had 15 points, four rebounds and eight assists in 23 minutes, shooting 5-of-14 from the floor and 2-of-7 from three-point range.

In the same game former Golden State center James Wiseman was demoted from starting center on Tuesday to exclusively second-half minutes. The former second overall pick made them count though, nearly recording a double-double with eight points and a game-high 10 rebounds in less than 11 minutes.

The Warriors are back in action on Thursday where they'll hope to extend their preseason record to 3-0 against the Sacramento Kings at Chase Center.