Klay Thompson closed the preseason in the roughest way possible for a shooter trying to settle in with a new team.
In Miami’s 136-115 loss to the Orlando Magic at Kia Center on Friday, the Heat guard never got on the board. Thompson finished scoreless, going 0-for-7 from the field and 0-for-6 from 3-point range while adding one rebound and three assists. It was the second time in four preseason games that he failed to score.
The full preseason line tells the story plainly:
Oct. 3 vs. Toronto Raptors: zero points, 0-2 FG, 0-1 3PT
Oct. 8 vs. New Orleans Pelicans: five points, 2-7 FG, 1-6 3PT
Oct. 14 vs. Brooklyn Nets: 12 points, 5-10 FG, 2-7 3PT
Oct. 16 vs. Orlando Magic: zero points, 0-7 FG, 0-6 3 PT
Across those four games, Thompson averaged 4.3 points, 1.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.3 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game while shooting 7-26 from the field (26.9%) and 3-20 from deep (15.0%). That’s ugly by any standard, especially for one of the greatest shooters in NBA history. Still, the broader answer to the Heat’s question is simple: not yet, not really.
This kind of preseason slump has followed Thompson before. The five-time All-Star signed a two-year, $11.5 million deal with Miami, and his exhibition shooting numbers have been shaky in recent years: 28.0% from the field in 2023, 24.1% in 2024, and 34.3% in 2025.
Even then, he still cleared 30.0% from three each year. The early returns are cold, but they are not enough to hit the panic button.
Thompson’s 2025-26 regular season with the Dallas Mavericks also began slowly. In October 2025, he shot 31.3% from the field and 25.9% from beyond the arc before finishing the season at 38.3% from three.
That came with a Mavericks roster that, as the source notes, mostly had a young Cooper Flagg drawing defensive attention. In Miami, Thompson should see cleaner looks alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo.
That’s why the “washed” talk can wait. Thompson’s father, Mychal Thompson, has already pushed back on that idea, and Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. said his view changed after working out with Thompson in September. The shot may not be dropping right now, but the veteran still knows how to shoot.
There’s been another encouraging sign too: Thompson has held up defensively. At his peak, he was one of the NBA’s best two-way guards and earned one All-Defensive team selection. Miami is already projected to be stingy on that end with Antetokounmpo, Adebayo, Andrew Wiggins, and Davion Mitchell, and Thompson only adds to that group.
The Heat’s next game is against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Kaseya Center on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET.
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Miami did not get the kind of clean tune-up it probably wanted heading into the regular season, especially against a Magic group that looked sharp in transition and opportunistic off turnovers. Nikola Vucevic added 13 points and seven rebounds in 23 minutes, helping fuel the kind of efficient stretch that made Orlando difficult to keep up with, while the Heat were left to absorb a preseason game that exposed something they cannot afford to carry forward. [Read more 🡒]
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Heat Backcourt Need Puts An Unexpected Former First-Round Guard In Play
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Claytons situation is one to watch because he could become available before the new season through either a trade or a cap move, giving Miami a possible opening to add another ballhandler without waiting for the market to dry up. For a Heat team that has been forced to manage its depth carefully, the appeal is obvious, even if the timing and cost of any deal remain unresolved. [Read more 🡒]