Tristan Thompson is not the cheapest bargain for the Cleveland Cavaliers, but he’s playing outstanding this season.
Tristan Thompson is making $17,469,565 this year (per Spotrac) as part of the five-year, $82 million dollar deal the big man signed prior to the 2015-16 season. That makes him the 11th-highest paid center for the 2018-19 season, and 57th-highest paid player in the league, per ESPN. For a player who has never averaged more than 12.0 points per game, living up to that contract seems borderline impossible. However, Thompson is starting to show why he was awarded that deal awarded to him by the Cleveland Cavaliers and it isn’t solely predicated on what he’s doing on the court, either.
Thompson is one of the NBA’s few iron men, at one point playing in 447 straight games, he has never had the major injury concerns like his frontcourt mate Kevin Love; last year,
Thompson missed a career-high 29 games, but appears back to full strength this year. Consistency is a staple for Thompson, whether it be being healthy and able to take the court or his actual production on the court.
Every year, TT is among the league leaders in offensive rebounds. This year, while it is still early, Thompson is averaging 4.9 offensive boards a year, tied for second-most in the NBA.
Offensive rebounding alone is not a 17 million-dollar-skill but is indicative of the effort Thompson plays with. It also helps secure extra possessions, and for a young team that lacks a go-to scorer, each crack at the basket makes a difference.
As alluded to, offensive rebounding, and rebounding, in general, are indicative of the effort and the work Thompson puts in on a nightly basis. Over the past few years, the Cleveland Cavaliers were often criticized for a lack of intensity, especially on the defensive end.
Don’t blame Thompson for that.
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Thompson has seen his role shift from the scrappy complimentary piece to being a veteran leader, a role he has embraced. Whether it be encouraging rookie Collin Sexton or shouldering the blame when things don’t go right (which they haven’t) Thompson has become a vocal leader in the Cavs’ locker room.
Coach Larry Drew has noted this on multiple occasions as have other media members and players.
Good leadership is hard to come by in the NBA, and the Cavs are a team in turmoil trying to find someone to fill the size 17 imprints vacated by LeBron James. The Cavs are in desperate need for someone to stabilize the team in terms of both a voice in the locker room and play on the court.
Thompson is the mark of consistency on the court. He’s not going to put up gaudy numbers on the offensive side of the court, but he’s going to work hard and average close to a double-double; for reference, he is putting up 11.0 points and 11.0 rebounds 29.9 minutes per game.
He’s also had a career-high PER of 18.2, per Basketball Reference and often leads Cleveland in plus-minus in games.
In the locker room, Thompson is quickly becoming a veteran leader who is willing to take the blame when things go awry (as Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor highlighted after a blowout loss to the Washington Wizards) and provide toughness on and off the court.
Now can you really put a price on heart, leadership and offensive rebounding? If you can, it may not be $17 million-plus, but it isn’t that far off.