Now over a year since his gut-wrenching departure from the Golden State Warriors, Klay Thompson is well and truly at home with the Dallas Mavericks despite a rough first season that ended without a playoff appearance.

That includes backing in his Mavericks teammates ahead of next season, even those who will start on the sidelines which is the case for Kyrie Irving after suffering a devastating torn ACL in early March.

Stephen Curry has new motivation after Klay Thompson claim

Speaking on a recent episode of ‘Showtime with Coop’ hosted by Los Angeles Lakers legend Michael Cooper, Thompson looked back fondly on his time playing alongside Stephen Curry and Draymond Green as the trio built a dynasty that featured four championships and a further two trips to the NBA Finals.

But Thompson also looked ahead to this upcoming season with the Mavericks, stamping his hopes of returning to contention by labelling Anthony Davis as “the best power forward, maybe of my generation” and Irving as the “the toughest guy I’ve ever guarded.”

Thompson and Irving met in countless huge battles — including in the NBA Finals — when they were members of the Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers respectively. Thompson had grown into one of the best perimeter defenders in the league, almost always taking the primary responsibility for Irving in matchups between the two teams.

But if you’re Curry and you hear Thompson speak so highly of his now current teammate, surely it provides some extra motivation for when the splash brothers meet again next season which starts with a marquee Christmas Day matchup at Chase Center.

While Thompson has spent all but one season playing alongside Curry, the latter may want to provide a reminder of his brilliance and enter himself into his former teammate’s “toughest guys to guard” category.

We saw just how motivated Curry was in Thompson’s emotional return to Chase Center last season, going for 37 points, six rebounds, nine assists and scoring Golden State’s last 10 points in a 120-117 victory that ended with an amped up 2x MVP yelling into the camera.

There’s no doubt that there will be something a little extra on the line whenever the splash brothers face off over the remainder of their decorated careers. The high praise for Irving only adds a little more fuel to the fire, with Curry surely keen to show Thompson that he easily remains the best back court teammate he’ll ever have.