Cleveland Cavaliers: Tristan Thompson will be the odd man out this season

The Cleveland Cavaliers have incredible frontcourt depth and that could result in Tristan Thompson being the odd man out.

Following LeBron James’ departure, a few things will change around the Cleveland Cavaliers organization. For starters, the effectiveness of both Tristan Thompson and Kyle Korver will take a significant hit.

Why? Well, it’s simple.

James, for the most part, was the source of their production. For Korver, it was James elite passing ability that allowed him to get the ball in the right spot to go up. For Thompson, he thrived off James’ ability to create offensive action and find lobs on pick and rolls.

Additionally, Thompson lacks the necessary attributes to create his own shot. At 6-foot-9, he struggles to outjump opposing bigs. His lack of competent mid-range or three-point shooting limits his ability to add offensive spacing for playmakers like Collin Sexton.

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As a Cavalier, Thompson’s main strength, his offensive rebounding, plummeted last season as the rest of his numbers followed. Thompson averaged a career-low 5.8 points per game on a career-low 4.4 shots per game. Even with James by his side, there wasn’t much use for Thompson last season with an array of capable big men.

The Cavs use of small-ball lineups featuring Kevin Love at the five reduced Thompson’s production and minutes. Thompson, who played in a career-low 53 games, started a career-low 22 games and clocked a career-low 20.2 minutes per game.

Furthermore, Thompson’s inability to protect the rim and operate in the low-post also didn’t help his cause for minutes.

At 27, Thompson doesn’t deserve minutes over either Larry Nance Jr. or Ante Zizic albeit he makes significantly more than them.

With limited minutes at the five to go around, Thompson, even if he starts the season, should quickly find his way out of the rotation as Zizic showcases his unique, traditional skill set. And, with Nance Jr. a member of Cleveland’s core youth movement, they’ll be attempting to develop his talent and athleticism.

The five will be an incredibly competitive position this season for the Cavaliers. For coach Lue and his staff, there are almost zero reasons to start and play Tristan Thompson. His limited offensive production and his decreasing rebounding are two huge reasons that he’s borderline unplayable.

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Nance Jr. is the future of the Cavaliers five, and he should start and get most of the minutes this season.