After just one game with the Dallas Mavericks, fans have already fallen in love with Klay Thompson. He set the record for most three-pointers in a Mavs debut, and his performance on Thursday night against the San Antonio Spurs was outstanding.

Thompson finished with 22 points, seven rebounds and three steals while shooting 6-10 from downtown, and while his shooting was his biggest strength from this game, his defense was also excellent. He played solid perimeter defense throughout the game and showed that he can still move well laterally and defend at a high level when fully deployed.

Thompson is on a quest to “prove people wrong” when it comes to his ability to still defend, and Luka Doncic took a good step in the right direction by doing the same against the Spurs. Doncic collected a steal and a block in the game, and when his offense was poor in the first half, he picked up the slack on defense.

Like Thompson, Doncic is often someone who is heavily criticized for his defense, but his new teammate won’t let any of that go. When asked about Doncic’s defense during the post-match press conference, Thompson didn’t hesitate to say what he thinks of the Slovenian superstar’s play in that area.

“Luka moves his feet and anticipates the attacking player very well,” Thompson said of Doncic’s defense. “I don’t think he gets that much credit in that regard, but he’s incredible on the board and stays ahead of the attacking player. I was very impressed with him.”

Doncic has received a lot of criticism for his defense over the past five months, and Thompson’s take on Doncic’s abilities in that area says a lot about the kind of teammate and person he is. Of course, Thompson would probably never be the one to beat Doncic’s defense as his teammate, but going out of his way to praise Doncic and recognize the strengths of his defensive effort is huge. Thompson clearly enjoyed playing with Doncic for the first time in the season opener, and while chemistry will take time, the home opener was a great start.

Doncic was always looking for Thompson for open shots and both players held their ground on defense, proving wrong the narrative that Thompson’s defense isn’t good enough to play alongside Doncic. Defense was one of the many strengths of both of their games and if they can consistently defend at a high level, the Mavs will undoubtedly become one of the top teams in the Western Conference once again.

There seems to be a general consensus that Dallas’ offense will be elite, but their defense will ultimately separate them from the rest if they can stay consistent. This starts with their star players, and both want to show the league that they are competitors on both sides, not just one. Thompson’s praise for Doncic was constant during the post-game press conference, and they are slowly taking steps to be respected on defense.