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Cleveland Cavaliers: Ranking the team’s top 10 current players

By Nathan Beighle

CLEVELAND, OH - NOVEMBER 22: LeBron James
CLEVELAND, OH - NOVEMBER 22: LeBron James /
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OAKLAND, CA – JUNE 12: Tristan Thompson #13 of the Cleveland Cavaliers handles the ball against the Golden State Warriors in Game Five of the 2017 NBA Finals on June 12, 2017 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Bruce Yeung/NBAE via Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA – JUNE 12: Tristan Thompson #13 of the Cleveland Cavaliers handles the ball against the Golden State Warriors in Game Five of the 2017 NBA Finals on June 12, 2017 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Bruce Yeung/NBAE via Getty Images) /

No. 9: Tristan Thompson

Team rank: 11th in ppg, 3rd in rebounds per game, 12th in assists per game

Slash line: .577/ .455

Besides of Isaiah Thomas, Tristan Thompson is the only player on this list to play in fewer than 20 games this season. According to ESPN’s rankings this past summer, Thompson is a top 75 player in the NBA; he was actually ranked No. 72.

Before the season, no one could predict the uprising of Kevin Love at center, the injury-stricken beginning of the season, and the lack of need for Thompson on the second unit. Although being dismissed by many, Thompson is still one of the Cavaliers’ best defensive bigs and is certainly their best offensive rebounding big. That said, although he is averaging career-lows in points (3.9) and rebounds (5.7), Thompson could still prove to be a force down low for Cleveland.

The main reason he dropped relatively low on our team rankings is due to a recent comment he made. Thompson said that his durability over the last few seasons has made is impossible to play at 100%. It’s hard to hear that and continue to believe in Thompson’s value. Albeit we’ve seen his skill in the past and shouldn’t underestimate what he can do.