Cleveland Cavaliers: Top 30 all-time greatest players
By Ben Beecken
Tristan Thompson. 11. player. 156. <ul> <li>7 seasons with Cavaliers (2011-current)</li> <li>Averaging 9 points and 8.4 rebounds per game</li> <li>1x NBA Champion with Cavs</li> </ul>. PF/C.
We’ve arrived at our first current member of the Cavaliers on our list.
Tristan Thompson was the fourth-overall selection in the 2011 NBA Draft — the same year that they selected Anthony Bennett at No. 1. In short: the Thompson pick was marginally better.
Thompson played for a pair of sub-30-win teams under Byron Scott and a 33-win team under Mike Brown before LeBron James rejoined his hometown squad in 2014. After starting all 82 games in his second and third years in the league, Thompson appeared in all 82 when LeBron (and Kevin Love) came to town for the 2014-15 season but only started 15 contests.
That meant that his per-game averages dipped, but his efficiency soared. After shooting 47.3 percent from the field through his first three seasons in the NBA, Thompson has shot a whopping 57.5 percent since James and Love came to town.
Thompson was, of course, a vital member of the rotation when the Cavaliers won the 2016 Finals. After falling into and out of favor with coach Tyronn Lue during the 2017-18 campaign, Thompson played in just 53 regular season games, averaging 5.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per contest.