Tristan Thompson: “We’re a better team this year than we were last year”

According to Tristan Thompson, the Cleveland Cavaliers are better this season than they were last season.

Talking to reporters after practice on Monday, Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson fielded questions about everything from his role on the bench to his current relationship with former Cavalier Kyrie Irving. In the process, Thompson revealed a few interesting tidbits:

He thinks it’s more work for a player to rehab an injury than to be healthy,). He still talks to Irving (Iman Shumpert does as well). He believes that Kevin Love’s improved pick-and-roll defense has been key to the Cavs’ defensive surge.

Surprisingly, even though the Cavs lost an amazing talent in Irving and got off to a rocky start at the beginning of the season (5-7 before their 13-game win streak), Thompson believes the Cleveland Cavaliers are better this year than last year, the season they reached the NBA Finals for the third consecutive season.

"“I feel we’re a better team this year than we were last year. We got better depth and more hungry guys. We’re younger.”"

Thompson’s right.

Let’s start with the bench.

In the 2016-2017 regular season, the Cavs played Iman Shumpert, Kay Felder, DeAndre Liggins, Jordan McRae and Deron Williams in the second unit backcourt.

Williams and McRae are no longer in the NBA, Felder is struggling to get minutes with the tanking Chicago Bulls and Liggins, while in the Milwaukee Bucks rotation, was waived prior to the end of the regular season.

Shumpert is the only member of that group still on the Cavs and while this season’s numbers don’t reflect it, he’s a much improved decision-maker and a more confident player to boot.

This season, Shumpert, Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose are the Cavs guards off the bench. Unlike guards from last season, Wade is both a reliable scorer and playmaker for the second unit. He makes the heady plays that Felder, Liggins, McRae and Shumpert didn’t while controlling the flow of the second unit in a way that Williams never did.

Rose is more or less a heat-seeking missile for the Cavs as he can get into the lane — nearly at will — and score efficiently (54.1 percent shooting on drives). The same can’t be said for any if the backcourt players in the Cavs’ rotation last season.

On the wings, the Cavs played James Jones, Dahntay Jones, Richard Jefferson and Kyle Korver last season.

J. Jones retired in the offseason, Jefferson could retire at the end of this season and D. Jones isn’t on a NBA roster. All three of those players will be 37-years-old by New Years.

Korver is the only member of the bunch still on the team and, as usual, he’s excelling as a three-point marksman. Cedi Osman is like a 22-year-old version of Jefferson. Although he’s obviously more energetic and bouncy due to his young age, he’s a vibrant force off the bench who will move the ball around, attack the rim, shoot the open shot and defend multiple positions. Osman is just more capable of guarding quicker players and there’s never a question of if his legs will hold up in a stuffed NBA schedule.

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In the frontcourt, Derrick Williams and Channing Frye were the main pieces last season. Edy Tavares, Larry Sanders, Andrew Bogut and Chris “Birdman” Andersen could have been in the rotation as well but only Tavares and Bogut received the chance. Only Bogut, who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers, is still in the league. Williams is currently a free agent as well.

Frye, who is still in the rotation despite the odds, has improved in the low-post and become an inside-outside scoring threat for Cleveland.

Jeff Green effectively replaces Williams while Thompson is now the mobile rim-protector the Cavs were seeking. Both players bring energy, athleticism and finishing around the rim but have versatility as well.

Green is versatile on both ends of the court, able to handle the rock, shoot from deep and post-up. He’s a far more reliable scorer than Williams in that sense — and because he’s confident enough to be aggressive. Green is also a player of guarding every position on the floor if need be. Thompson’s versatility comes in the form of his defense, as he can guard players from the perimeter to the interior and block shots to boot. This will be the first time Thompson came off the bench since Timofey Mozgov was in The Land, a season where Thompson’s hustle was just too much for opposing bench units as he averaged 3.3. offensive rebounds per game (9.0 rebound per game total).

Another difference this season is the team’s willingness to swing the ball around.

The second unit in particular has been great at finding each other for easy shots but in the starting lineup there’s been a change too. Irving, notorious for his iso ability, was prone to dribbling the air out of the ball. However, with James as the only trusted iso player in the starting lineup and the need to feed Love inside, the starters have taken to swinging the ball around too. Especially J.R. Smith.

Playing Jae Crowder instead of Thompson gives the Cavs another perimeter threat in the starting lineup and an intelligent passer. Thompson, while a solid passer, isn’t as likely to hit a cutting player as he stands above the break.

When Isaiah Thomas returns, there will be more iso-ball but Thomas is unlikely to dribble incessantly like Irving is. As a result, ball-movement should still prevail.

Taking the defensive challenge has been a difference for the team as well as Irving, Love and LeBron James were prone to lackadaisical defense in the regular season.

Irving’s matador defense hasn’t been replaced by stout individual defenders but players who will take the defensive challenge seriously (before the postseason). Love’s physical limitations are being balanced by both improved effort — against bigger and stronger players — and awareness. James is being the leader the Cavs need on both end of the floor and because the team’s effort tends to match his, that’s great for the Wine and Gold. He’s guarding the opposing team’s best player, regardless of their position, in crunch time.

That’s what the man aiming to be the GOAT needs to do and he’s done it.

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All in all, the Cleveland Cavaliers do seem to be a better team than they were last season. Buoyed by James and Love’s individual improvements along with a stellar supporting cast, this is a team that should expected to reach the NBA Finals again.

This time, the hope is for wine and gold confetti to fall from the rafters.

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*All stats gathered from www.basketball-reference.com