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Cleveland Cavaliers: Pre-ASG Player Grades

By Quenton S. Albertie

Feb 18, 2017; New Orleans, LA, USA; Eastern Conference forward LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers (23) and Eastern Conference forward Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers (2) laugh during the NBA All-Star Practice at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 18, 2017; New Orleans, LA, USA; Eastern Conference forward LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers (23) and Eastern Conference forward Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers (2) laugh during the NBA All-Star Practice at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /
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NBA: Oklahoma City Thunder at Cleveland Cavaliers
NBA: Oklahoma City Thunder at Cleveland Cavaliers /

Tristan Thompson. A. . Cleveland Cavaliers.

2016-2017 season averages:

8.2 points, 9.7 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 1.1 blocks per game

58.8 percent shooting on all field goals

How Tristan Thompson has performed prior to the All-Star break:

Tristan Thompson is probably a lot better than people think. This season, he’s shown improvement as a scorer. His points don’t often come in the form of post moves or jump shots but he’s increased his efficiency outside the paint this season. He’s also mastering how to get points in the pick-and-roll and putbacks. Speaking of, Thompson’s ability to get offensive rebounds helps make the Cleveland Cavaliers an elite team. As he prevents the other team from getting the chance to score, he gives his team another chance to score. When your team has LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love and a ton of shooters, that’s dangerous. This season Thompson has also improved defensively. He has always been a versatile player who you could trust to defend on the perimeter and had a solid season as a rim-protector.

The highlight of Thompson’s season came against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Thompson didn’t have his best game of man-to-man defense but he scored 19 points, had 12 rebounds, 4 steals, 4 blocks and an assist as the Cavs won 107-91.