Klay Thompson’s former teammate, Festus Ezeli, made a bold prediction that fans of the Dallas Mavericks will love to hear. Appearing on ESPN’s NBA Today, Ezeli took part in a segment that asked him to fill in the blank on a simple question: “Klay Thompson makes Mavericks ———— best team in the West?” His answer was simple but resounding, as he chose the word “the.”

“I will say, the Mavs with Klay Thompson in the lineup, are gonna be the best team in the West.” Although he may not be the most recognizable name – his last NBA minutes coming in the 2015-2016 season – Ezeli knows a thing or two about winning and about Klay Thompson. The two were teammates across a number of seasons with the Golden State Warriors and won the championship together in 2015. In the deciding game of The Finals that year, Ezeli contributed 10 points and 4 rebounds.

Predictions like this happen all the time on NBA Today, many of which seem deliberately contrarian. In the case of Ezeli however, there is a credibility that can only come from intimately knowing what a particular player brings to the court. Day in and day out, Ezeli and Thompson shared countless practices, games, flights and nights out with each other, culminating in the ultimate prize. For him to think so highly of the Mavs’ chances due to the addition of Thompson is something we should pay attention to.

Thompson is simply one of the best shooters the game has ever known. Amongst a variety of other accolades, Thompson has the record for most 3FG in a single game with 14. He also holds the record for most points scored in a single quarter with 37 (27 of which came on a perfect 9 of 9 from three-point land). For a Mavericks team that desperately needed shooting in The Finals last year, there is perhaps no better addition they could have made this Off Season, and Ezeli’s take offers significant support to that notion.

Beyond just this one headline-grabbing quote, Ezeli said something else during his appearance that will garner much less attention than it should. Back in early July, Jason Dumas of KRON4 News out of San Francisco was quoted as describing Thompson as an “exhausting” locker room presence. This cast the briefest of shadows on the brewing excitement surrounding the deal that would see Thompson come to Dallas. If any doubt remained from this story that wasn’t a story, Ezeli shattered it when he said: “in the locker room, Klay Thompson was such a huge boost for morale because of how low maintenance he was.”

The Mavericks had reason enough to be excited about the addition of Thompson to the team, but hearing what Ezeli had to say from the perspective of a former teammate should have Mavs Nation very excited for the upcoming season.

Check back often with Mavs Moneyball where we’ll have you covered all season long.