Why Tristan Thompson Should Start At Center

What started out as a rumor ignored by many now seems to be on the verge of becoming reality: Tristan Thompson could be the Cleveland Cavaliers’ starting center. Reports are that he has practiced primarily with the starters during the first week of training camp, and he also played with the rest of the projected starting lineup during both the Wine & Gold Scrimmage on Wednesday night and Sunday night’s preseason game against Maccabi Tel Aviv. What does this mean for the incumbent starter, long-time Cavalier Anderson Varejao? Head Coach David Blatt says that he hasn’t decided who will start, and he isn’t sure that it matters when you consider the similar skills of both men as well as the fact that both will likely play big minutes for the Cavaliers this season. For now though, it looks like Thompson will be introduced with the starting lineup when the Cavaliers open the season against the New York Knicks on October 30 at the Q.

This potential move has been met with skepticism by many who follow the Cavaliers. They point to the fact that Varejao is a better player than Tristan Thompson, and they are correct. Varejao has all of Thompson’s energy and rebounding skills, plus he is a better shooter, passer and overall defender. If a team’s starting five was always made up of its best five players, there would be little to debate. Creating the optimal starting five (and by extension the optimal rotation) isn’t that simple though, and there are several reasons as to why starting Thompson at center could make sense for the Cavaliers.

As Cavaliers General Manager has stated more times than one can count, fit is an extremely important part of building a successful basketball team. It’s also one of the reasons why Tristan Thompson may be the better fit at center. First of all, Thompson is nowhere near the passer that Varejao is, and he also doesn’t have Andy’s handle. Because of this, it would likely benefit him to play most of his minutes with the rest of the starting lineup, all of whom are above average passers and shot creators, especially considering Thompson’s struggles with creating good shots for himself. There is also an old saying about passing being contagious and that may be true for the Cavaliers in general and Thompson in particular. After averaging an acceptable 1.3 assists per game in his second year, Thompson slipped to just 0.9 assists per game last season. This may have been due to a change in his own approach or former coach Mike Brown’s offensive schemes, but it’s fairly easy to see Thompson’s assist totals climbing again in David Blatt’s offense, which places a heavy emphasis on ball movement.

Another advantage is Tristan Thompson’s strength of scoring in transition. This is the one area of his game that is truly stronger than Varejao’s. According to Synergy Sports, Thompson ranked in the 87th percentile of the league (32nd overall to be exact) on scoring in transition plays last season, making 66.7 percent of his shot attempts in transition. It is often mentioned how Kevin Love’s terrific outlet passes will help James, Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters in transition, but don’t forget about Thompson. His skill in transition combined with the fact that he is simply faster than most other centers will give him a chance to get a couple of easy baskets every game. While Varejao is a solid transition player as well, he simply cannot match Thompson’s speed and explosiveness at this point in his career. Thompson is also far more durable than Varejao, having played in every game over the last two years. Making him the starting center may also help the continuity of this lineup, as he is fairly likely to be available for every game.

The final advantage to starting Tristan Thompson may be on the defensive end. While there is no doubt that Varejao is a better defender and was a bit better at protecting the rim last year, Thompson has shown more potential as a shot-blocker. Thompson was a terrific shot-blocker in college, averaging 2.4 blocks per game during his lone season at Texas. Typically blocks, along with rebounds and steals, is a statistic that translates well from college to the NBA, but in Thompson’s case that hasn’t happened. After averaging a solid 1.6 blocks per 36 minutes during his rookie year, Thompson’s averages over the same time have dropped to 1.0 and then 0.5 over the last two years. While this could have been due to added muscle sapping his athleticism somewhat or the defensive schemes of his coaches, the more likely answer is the position Thompson has played. During his rookie year Thompson originally came off the bench behind fellow power forward Antawn Jamison. However, a season-ending injury to Anderson Varejao, and ineffective play by backup centers Samardo Samuels and Ryan Hollins, forced Thompson to become the starting center for the latter part of the season. Because of this he was usually playing close to the basket on defense. While he has played some center over the past two years, Thompson has spent the vast majority of his time at power forward and has typically had to play a bit farther from the basket on defense due to the amount of stretch fours seen in today’s NBA. Thompson is already a solid pick-and-roll defender, and playing the majority of his time at center may allow him to regain his shot-blocking form and become the rim protector many thought he could be coming out of college. When you also take into account the muscle he added this offseason, and the fact that his 7’1” wingspan and 9’0” standing reach help negate his relative lack of height at 6’9”, the case could be made that Tristan Thompson will be more effective as an undersized center than he ever would be as a power forward in today’s NBA.

There are also several advantages to having Varejao come off the bench. The most obvious one would be in helping to manage his minutes. While this can be done whether he starts or comes off the bench, David Blatt may be more comfortable creating a plan for this without having to specifically designate minutes for Varejao at the beginning of each half. Another plus would be the passing Varejao would bring to the second unit. The bench players likely to be in the rotation besides Varejao or Thompson are Shawn Marion, Mike Miller, Matthew Dellavedova and (in certain scenarios) Brendan Haywood. While these are all high I.Q. players, none of them besides Dellavedova are known for their passing. Meanwhile Varejao had the third highest assist ratio for centers in the league last season. This isn’t hockey, and it’s unlikely they will all be on the floor together at once, but having a member of the bench who can help with ball movement when the starters are out is critical. Finally, coming off the bench may allow Varejao to play a bit more power forward after primarily manning the center position for the last few years. While he is better at center on both ends of the floor, a little less banging down low may also help to keep him healthy.

Remember, it isn’t who starts a game that really matters, it’s who finishes it, and Anderson Varejao will likely finish many games for the Cavaliers this season whether or not he is a starter. Meanwhile, Tristan Thompson may never become a star, but he is a solid player and a durable big man who brings terrific energy and rebounding every game. His character and devotion to the team make him the kind of player and person you cannot help but root for. In the right situation he could play a key role for the Cleveland Cavaliers both this season and for years to come.