Photo Credit: Brett Davis/USA Today Sports
Cleveland certainly has been large and in charge this off season and I think we all know why. The acquisitions David Griffin has made have been stellar, but the one thing Cleveland will need to be successful is success from the low post. Thankfully they have two pieces in Kevin Love and Anderson Varejao, but for the team to truly have success they’ll need a big year from one man and that will be Tristan Thompson.
Since Tristan Thompson was selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft it left many draft experts and fans scratching their heads as to why a team that just drafted Kyrie Irving selected a project player to be Kyrie’s running mate instead of the sure fire thing. Thompson though has produced for The Cavaliers and progressed his post game a little bit since coming into the league. Could The Cavaliers have gone with Klay Thompson, Chandler Parsons, or Kawhi Leonard? Sure, but Thompson’s 36 double doubles which ranked 13th in the NBA tied with Anthony Davis and Nikola Vucevic surprised quite a few.
Thompson has shown some improvement from 8 PPG his rookie season to 11 PPG last year nothing crazy, but watching Thompson you saw a player develop instincts for rebounding and a player that can run the floor with Kyrie Irving and slam it home. The biggest weakness I’ve seen in Thompson’s game is the defensive end when facing a physical post up player like David West or Zach Randolph he has struggled (as any player would), and his shot blocking which shouldn’t be a major concern this season.
The reason I state it’s not a concern is the players around him. Since coming into the league, Tristan has played with a often injured Anderson Varejao in the post so he’s seen his share of front court players come and go. Thompson certainly has the athletic ability to block shots and it’s just a matter of time before he catches on. Cleveland’s roster the past four years certainly has been a revolving door, but he should be able to build some serious chemistry with this roster and help play some great team defense.
Thompson’s biggest strength will look even better with all the open looks he will have thanks to attention being elsewhere for the opposing teams defense. Thompson can run the floor well and plays in the paint and towards the baseline so well as he awaits the extra pass as the defense collapses on the drive. Also with the proper floor spacing thanks to James, Irving, and Love he will have some serious space to work with in the post.
If Tristan can eventually polish off his post game which at times does look awkward at times The Cavaliers will have a post game that should be something exciting to watch. Thompson did workout with Tim Duncan two years ago in the off season and his high motor has certainly been a positive thing when him and Varejao are on the court together.
With Irving, Waiters, and James I can see a lot of breakaway opportunities with Tristan’s hustle he can either gather the miss or be in the right place at the right time to slam it down. There’s no doubt that big things are awaiting this Cleveland team, but it’s also certain that big things are awaiting the 23 year old big man Tristan Thompson.
