After over 900 games and hitting almost three thousand 3s, Klay Thompson just hit his first game-winner, and it was in a Miami Heat jersey in year 16 of his career. 

It’s almost unbelievable that, as the 4th-best shooter in history, it’s taken him this long to finally have his first game-winning shot. It’s even more intriguing that he did it just a day before playing his original team, the Golden State Warriors. 

For the Miami Heat, the shot mattered on multiple levels. We’ve seen so far in this early season that when Klay gets it going, the Heat win. In the 3 wins of the season, Klay is averaging just under 20 ppg while knocking down 5 threes a game, and in the Heat's losses, that number goes down to 11ppg. 

As the season progresses, Klay should be viewed as the Heat’s third scoring option. Given his dynamic with Bam already starting to get flowing, Klay can build on his game-winning shot with another strong performance against the Warriors. 

One of the main factors Klay mentioned that helped open him up for that field goal was the screen that Bam Adebayo set. That 2-man game is something the Heat should look to build off of. In a previous iteration of the Miami Heat, the dribble handoff was an integral part of their offense. Now replace Jimmy Butler with Giannis Antetokounmpo as the cutter, and the Heat have a dangerous offensive set to build off. 

Of course, the Heat would have to get away from that during playoff games when the scouting report becomes more keyed in on certain plays. However, for regular season success, it could be the spark the Heat need to help build chemistry. In the team’s slow start to the season, they could use a few go-to plays to help alleviate the pressure offensively.

The Heat do currently have the best pace in the league and rank 2nd in offensive rating, however, they rank bottom half in the league in 3-pointers made and 3-point percentage. 

The Warriors are currently ranked as the 3rd-best defensive team in the league with a defensive rating of 103.5 and are top 10 in 3-point defense. And of course, they know Klay quite well. This game could serve as a test for 3-point shot creation for the Miami Heat. If Thompson can build on his game-winner with another strong game, he could help further elevate his new team early in this season.