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Ever since Klay Thompson joined the Heat after his buyout with the Mavericks, there have been talks of unfair pressure on the four-time NBA champion to perform like his prime days to force the narrative that Miami is a championship contender. The 36-year-old is entering his 14th NBA season in 2026-27 and is widely believed to have already passed his prime. Some critics have even said that Klay Thompson is washed and can no longer contribute to a championship-contending team. Mychal Thompson, who is Klay Thompson’s father and a two-time NBA champion, heard what these critics said and decided to clap back with a bold challenge. “If people don’t think Klay can be Klay anymore, leave him open. Don’t guard him. Don’t face guard him. I see people still bear-hugging him and not leaving him open for a second. So if he’s not Klay anymore, leave him open and give him open shots. Let’s see what happens,” Mychal Thompson said in a recent interview with SiriusXM. Klay Thompson is coming off a career-worst season with the Mavericks, where he eventually accepted a bench role. He ended 2025-26 averaging 11.7 points, 2.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game on 39.3% shooting from the field and 38.3% shooting from three-point range. And yet, his father even went as far as to say that 2026-27 is a championship-or-bust season for the Heat ever since his son joined them. Of course, any father is expected to be confident in their child’s capabilities. Still, one could argue that such takes also set his son up for a high-pressure situation where, if he fails, this will become the basis of a lot of hate on social media. Draymond Green, who was the first to address that Klay Thompson is unnecessarily being made prone to public scrutiny, clarified that he did not mean Thompson is washed; rather, he is just not capable of being a second-option scorer behind Giannis Antetokounmpo in Miami like he was with Stephen Curry in Golden State. Despite coming off of the worst season of his career, where he shot below 40% from the field for the first time in his career, it is a risky prospect to leave Klay Thompson wide open. So I am sure most teams wouldn’t take on this challenge. But if, midway through the season, some team manages to lock down Klay Thompson or catch him on a bad day, such a take would become the subject of a lot of criticism. One of the main reasons why he was brought to the Heat was to space the floor on a team that already has a limited number of shooters. Therefore, I doubt teams would have defenders leaving Klay Thompson wide open on threes in their scouting report. For now, this only sounds like a father who confidently and passionately believes in his son’s abilities. It will be interesting to see whether any team leaves Klay Thompson wide open and how he responds in those situations.