Tristan Thompson is Cleveland Cavaliers X-Factor
By Luke Sicari
While every championship team in the NBA needs a strong core, championships wouldn’t be won without those ‘other’ players. Whether you refer to them as role players, supporting casts or under-appreciated players, it’s these guys that don’t get the media attention they deserve.
Tristan Thompson is this player for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The X-Factor.
Despite the talent levels of Kyrie Irving, LeBron James and Kevin Love, Thompson has arguably been the most consistent player in Cleveland this season. While Irving or Love may have a poor shooting night from time to time and James will have high turnover games here and there, Thompson goes out there every night and does the same thing over and over again. The never-ending motor of Thompson is invaluable to this ball club, as he brings instant energy and hustle off the bench.
When having a quick look at Thompson’s per game stats, nothing jumps off the page, just a modest 9 points a game, 8.2 rebounds a game and a 56.4% field goal percentage. It goes beyond the box score for Thompson though, as the Cavaliers are indeed better with Thompson on the floor.
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When Thompson is in the game, the Cavs have a NET rating of +3.7, as the offense is a +4.6 with Thompson on the floor, which is no surprise, as he shoots a high percentage, doesn’t hold onto the ball and shots from close range. 89.1% of Thompson’s field goal attempts come from less then 10 feet and Thompson converts on an excellent 58.6% of those attempts. Along with the effectiveness of Thompson’s shots, he also knows his limitations, as he doesn’t stall the offense when he touches the ball. 69.4% of Thompson’s field goals are attempted when he takes no dribbles and he shoots 59.4% on those attempts. Another interesting nugget when looking into Thompson’s shot dashboard is 78.6% of his attempts are taken within 2 seconds or less after he touches the ball and it’s not a surprise he shoots 58% on these attempts.
Another area of Thompson’s offense that has taken another step forward this season is his ability to finish alley-oops. Earlier in his career, Thompson had poor hands around the rim and would often get his shot blocked or he would simply blow easy finishes. This season has been a different story though, as Thompson has improved his ability to finish at the rim greatly and now is a staple of the Cavaliers offense. The Cavs run a usual set with Thompson on the floor, as he will set a high pick for one of the guards and then simply roll to the hoop, as the guard drives. This play, which is usually ran with Matthew Dellavedova, will end up with either a Dellavedova floater or a lob to Thompson at the hoop. You would know this play is effective by simply watching the Cavaliers play on a regular basis but when breaking down the stats, further evidence of how effective this play is discovered. Thompson has had 37 alley-oop dunk shot attempts this season and has finished 32 of those attempts. This calculates to a sensational 86.5% field goal percentage on these alley-oop dunks. For contrast, Thompson only had 13 alley-oop dunk shot attempts for all 82 games he played in last season. Thompson’s ability to finish at the rim has became a highly efficient weapon for the Cavs offense this season and it will simply make them even harder to stop come playoff time.
Thompson is also a surprisingly useful player on the offense end due to his immense offensive rebounding instincts. With Thompson on the court, the Cavaliers pull down 32.5% of available offensive rebounds, which would be tops in the entire league. For comparison, the Utah Jazz lead the league in offensive rebounding percentage, at 29.1%. When Thompson is off the floor though, the Cavaliers offensive rebounding rate drops to 27.5%, a 5% difference with Thompson on and off the floor. It’s not only the Cavaliers team offensive rebounding numbers that are impressive though, as his individual stats may even be more impressive. Thompson ranks in the top 10 of players in the entire league in offensive rebounding rate, as he pulls down 15.1% of his offensive rebounds.
Thompson’s improved play on the offense end has led to David Blatt electing to play him over Timofey Mozgov in clutch fourth quarter situations. While this decision has been a head scratcher for some, Blatt has been a strong supporter for Thompson all season long, as evident from the praising he gave him after a November win against the Indiana Pacers, per cavs.com:
"“I thought that Tristan was outstanding today. I thought that he set the tone for us physically, battling David West who is a terrific basketball player. David scored a few but they came hard. Tristan was all around the basket and all around the paint legally putting his body on people and being a presence. He played a lot minutes which he has not done up to this point. He took the challenge, took responsibility and really gave us a great game. In my mind, (he was) sort of the unsung hero of the night certainly.”"
While the defense is a little worse at a +0.9 rate, what Thompson losses in points allowed per 100 possessions though, he makes up with his hustle, rebounding and his ability to go out on the perimeter and defend guards off the pick and roll. Thompson’s hustle and energy on the defensive end simply can’t be measured in stats. He is always moving on the floor and it seems like he has taken some hustle tips from Anderson Varejao.
We have already broken down Thompson’s offensive rebounding statistics, now lets take a look at his defensive rebounding numbers. Thompson is pulling down 4.5 defensive boards a game, with 1.1 one them being contested. Thompson’s defensive rebounding rate is at 18.9%, which while is still a very good numbers, isn’t as impressive as say, the 26.7% defensive rebounding rate Love pulls down. The Cavs have two great defensive rebounders in Mozgov and Love, and adding Thompson into the mix just strengths the rebounding muscle for the Cavs on the defensive end.
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Another area where Thompson has impressed this season is his ability to guard the pick and roll ball handler. Thompson’s quickness for a big man and allowed him to switch on the pick and roll, without the Cavs getting into poor defensive positioning. Thompson staying in front of his man on the perimeter has led to him holding opposing players to shooting only 40.4% on shots from greater than 15 feet from the basket. This added element to Thompson’s game has just given the Cavaliers defense another option to go to.
While the trio of James, Irving and Love are undoubtedly the core of this team, Thompson has been an ultimate X-Factor for the Cavaliers this season. With his greatly improved offense game and underrated impact on the defensive end, Thompson will be the unsung hero in the playoffs for Cleveland.
All stats are accurate of the 10th of March, before the Cavaliers clash with the Dallas Mavericks and are from NBA.com/stats, ESPN.com, 82games.com and basketball-reference.com.
What are your thoughts of Tristan Thompson’s season? Let us know in the comments!