Apr 18, 2025; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson (31) reacts during the third quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Star 76ers rookie reveals intense battle with Mavericks' Klay Thompson

Originally posted on Dallas Mavericks on SI
By Austin Veazey | Last updated Jul 31, 2025 7:00 AM ET

Klay Thompson may not be the player he was in his prime, before he tore his ACL and Achilles in back-to-back years, but he's still an NBA player and one of the greatest shooters in NBA history.

Thompson is coming off his first season with the Dallas Mavericks, averaging 14 PPG while shooting 39.1% from three-point range. It was a rocky season for the organization due to bad trades and worse injury luck, but Thompson proved he can still be a starting-caliber player on a team wanting to contend.

VJ Edgecombe Sounds Off on Klay Thompson

Philadelphia 76ers rookie VJ Edgecombe recently got to play against Klay Thompson in an open run, a good learning experience for the third overall pick out of Baylor. Edgecombe described the experience on "Podcast P" with his new teammate, Paul George, and mainly how Thompson was still scoring on him at will.

"It was bad. No, I'm telling you, I'm guarding him. So the first time I guard him, he tried to post me up. He's like, 'Oh, I got young fella on me, pass the rock.' I'm like, 'Bro, come on, bro.'

"So he trying to post me up, and I'm just pushing him like, 'Bro, you're not posting me up. I'm not going to sit and just let you post me up.' But then the grown man strength kicks in, and I'm like, 'Yeah... ain't nothing I can do about this.'

"He's just shooting over the top. And it's Klay, though. So I can live with Klay scoring on me, especially if he's shooting the ball. Man, I was hot 'cause he scored like three times in a row. And I realized, yeah, it's a little different. Yeah, it's a little different. It's a little different for sure."

Thompson still gave the young player some advice and encouragement after, telling Edgecombe that he's going to go on and win multiple championships. Edgecombe is going into an interesting team, as the 76ers are praying Joel Embiid and Paul George can stay healthy enough to flank Edgecombe, Tyrese Maxey, Quentin Grimes, and all of the other talent they have. They can be a contender, but betting on Embiid to stay healthy is usually not a profitable one.

This article first appeared on Dallas Mavericks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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