Tristan Thompson
Cleveland Cavaliers

Player Facts

Height: 6'9"
Weight: 254lbs.

Wingspan: 7'1.25"

Date of Birth: Mar. 13, 1991
College Experience: Texas (1 year)

Selections

All Star: 0
All-NBA: 0
All-Defensive: 0

Player Grades

Speed/Explosiveness: 4
Physical Strength: 9
Positional Size: 7
Positional Wingspan: 8
Paint Scoring: 8
Midrange Scoring: 3
Three-Point Scoring: 1
Dribbling: 4
Passing: 5
Perimeter Defense: 4
Interior Defense: 7
Rebounding: 9

Embed from Getty Images

JUMP TO SECTION

> Intro

> Workhorse on the Boards

> Elite O-REB Numbers

> Putbacks & Tip-Ins

> Slow Roll

> Bully Ball

> Modest Passing

> Help Defense

> Weighty Post Defense

> Switching Out

> D-Boards

> Smaller than True Bigs

> Unrefined Scoring Skills

> Beacon Bacon

>Link to Player Contract & Salary Info

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*All statistical data courtesy of NBA Advanced Stats

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STRENGTHS

Intro

The undersized Tristan Thompson has established his calling card to be tireless rebounding. He is a particularly potent cleaner of the offensive glass. At a strong 254 lbs., he uses a physical, on-the-ground approach to rebounding rather than being a high-flyer.

As was the fate of many once-power forwards of the booming three-point era, Thompson has slid up to the five full-time. He's a little short for the position at 6-foot-9 but has the bulk and length (7'1.25" wingspan) to contend with fellow bigs. Being a non-shooting four-man was simply not sustainable for the modern NBA.

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Workhorse on the Boards

Tristan works as hard as anyone to fight for positioning as the shot goes up. In fact, his grappling down low often precedes the release of a shot even. The former Longhorn has a powerful lower half which serves as the basis for his rebounding style.

Never a huge leaper, Tristan had begun his journey as a relentless rebounder with physicality from day one. His rookie campaign already saw him nab 9.8 boards per-36 minutes. He has and continues to carve his space and throw in some clever maneuvers such as the quick swim move. His box-outs are also very solid.

There is no doubt that Thompson is a strong rebounder on both ends. This is supported both statistically and through watching game film. However, he truly begins to stand out once you isolate his offensive rebounding totals.

Elite O-REB Numbers

From 2012-2013 to 2020-2021 he posted six seasons within the top ten for total offensive boards. This becomes more impressive given that several of those seasons saw him average minutes only in the twenties/game. Furthermore, as recently as 2019-2020, he was fourth in offensive rebounding percentage leaguewide at 14.5%.

Drilling down further, 2019-2020 saw him pace the Association with 9.0 offensive rebounding chances per game. His contested O-boards/game was at 2.8, knotting him with Deandre Ayton for fourth-best. Lastly, his flat offensive rebounds average stood at 4.0 which trailed only Andre Drummond and Clint Capela that year.

Putbacks & Tip-Ins

With Thompson's snaring of teammates misses comes the expectation of second-chance points. He obliges, with his pet move being a half-hook shot in the lane. Tristan squares his shoulders nicely before raising for the shot.

Overall, he scored more putback points than players like Joel Embiid, Anthony Davis, and Domantas Sabonis in 2019-2020. A sometimes-overlooked aspect of Tristan's prolific offensive rebounding is the foul shots it earns. He routinely averages 3+ trips per-36 despite very little offense being run through him.

Slow Roll

While most of his scoring derives from his tip-ins and other putbacks, he can give you some juice as a roller - though this part of his game has waned in recent years. He's got solid hands and can stop short for a push shot. His 2018-2019 season included a 61st percentile spot scoring as the roll man.

When he doesn't score himself, he creates an open driving lane for his ball-handler. With a robust frame and good screening mechanics, Tristan is an effective on-ball screener. His 6.0 screen assists per-36 bested Richaun Holmes and Jonas Valanciunas (2020-2021).

Bully Ball

Without a deep bag of post moves, Tristan struggles against strong post defenders. However, he can take advantage of slighter players with his version of bully ball.

This adds some extra value to his offense and makes opposing teams think twice about hiding a smaller player on Tristan (between this and him being hard to keep off the glass).

Modest Passing

The 6'9" center can even make some plays for others. For example, he scans the opposite side for open shooters off his own short roll.

The big-to-big delivery is another thing squarely within his playmaking scope. Tristan can even envision a future passing opportunity, putting the ball on the deck to execute his idea.

Help Defense

Tristan can be a mobile help defender on the backline. Plagued by a relative lack of size, he compensates with good maneuverability. He can snuff out some drives and is wise with his timing here.

In 2020-2021 Tristan's opponents shot 7.7% less than their typical average within six feet of the hoop. He tends to be in the right places and these statistics are representative of this strength (rather than just blocks/game).

Weighty Post Defense

The 254 lbs. Thompson's man defense can be solid. He shines most in the post, stonewalling taller but often weaker players. 2020-2021 saw him land in the 79th percentile for post defense, preceded by the 69th in 2019-2020.

Switching Out

Thompson has the ability to switch out on the perimeter against certain wings. Particualrly as a younger player, he looked to be comfortable far from the basket despite being a big. Tristan can still slide his feet a bit and extends his lengthy arm-span out against perimeter players or rangy bigs.

While a nominal center, the Texas product spends substantial time guarding forwards as well. In 2020-2021 he 42.1% of his time checking forwards compared to 40.5% on five-men. He spent multiple games spending time defending Bam Adebayo, John Collins, and Jerami Grant that year.

D-Boards

Thompson's def-rebounding adds surplus-value to his defense. He ripped down more defensive boards than players such as Serge Ibaka and Myles Turner in 2019-2020. Tristan's 3.7 defensive box-outs per night outpaced Kevin Love and Jarrett Allen (also 2019-2020).

WEAKNESSES

Smaller than True Bigs

There is no getting past some of the natural weaknesses of a predominantly ground-bound 6'9" center. Low block totals and being vulnerable to athletic finishers are just a couple. Also, he doesn't have much of an answer for centers such as Karl-Anthony Towns and Nikola Vucevic that are taller, highly skilled inside-out guys.

Forceful seven-foot dive-men can be a challenge to contend with for Thompson. The bouncy lob-catcher types are the major problem area. After all, the heavy Tristan Thompson has the muscle to stonewall most bruisers.

The advanced numbers surrounding his roll man defense are not pretty. 2020-2021 saw him place in the unfathomably low 2nd percentile for his defense here. Subpar bounce can lead to the feeling the need to foul.

Unrefined Scoring Skills

Tristan has extremely limited range on the offensive side. He cannot pick-and-pop, and rarely will even attempt a jumper. This shooting reluctance holds true in both the midrange and especially from downtown.

Thompson attempted just 3 triples across 2020-2021. He made only 3 of 7 midrangers that season as well.

Tristan should be a more accurate finisher given his offensive role. He's primarily a screen-and-dive/putback style big yet is not an elite interior finisher. These percentages undercut his value here, with a player like Tristan expected to finish closer to a high-60% at the rim.

The Toronto native's lack of offensive skill continues in the post. He has no face-up jumper, nor many polished post moves. He's quite predictable here, working to get to that hook shot with few sightings of an up-and-under or step-through.

Thompson was in the 19th percentile scoring in the post in 2017-2018. He dropped to the 12th in 2018-2019. During his last season with the Cavaliers, 2019-2020, Tristan finished in just the 17th percentile in this area. He did have a better year in 2020-2021 though.

Lastly, his free throw shooting is suboptimal. While he tends to reside in the already mediocre 60's, he's had a few seasons shooting even worse. 2020-2021 saw him unable to convert even 60% of his foul shots across his 54 games of action.

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bacon
Beacon Bacon

Tristan Thompson shockingly underwent a mid-career switch of his shooting hand, entering the league as a left-handed shooter before transitioning to a righty