The Cleveland Cavaliers have re-signed Tristan Thompson for the 2024-25 season. The extension will see him stay in Cleveland for the next season, with a completely assured contract.
With Evan Mobley and Jarret Allen presumably working the frontcourt, does this transfer even make sense?
Right here’s a have a look at the Thompson re-signing, and whether or not or not he could make a distinction with this Cavaliers crew.
Thompson’s play
So far as his sport goes, he’s not the identical difference-maker he as soon as was. No less than, not in the identical method. Final season Thompson averaged 3.3 factors, 3.6 rebounds and an help per sport. In comparison with his final season in Cleveland, this doesn’t look notably spectacular.
Nonetheless, he’s a wholly totally different participant than he as soon as was. The place he was as soon as the middle anchoring a LeBron James led tremendous crew, he now sees himself backing up youthful, extra gifted gamers. This will not appear to be a constructive for Thompson (or Cleveland), however there are some attention-grabbing points to his advanced sport.
For starters, his position has already tremendously diminished. The place he as soon as performed many of the sport and was anticipated to contribute to a championship-caliber crew, he’s now anticipated to complement a crew whose identification has shaped completely with out him. He’s enjoying much less minutes, getting much less touches and bearing much less duty.
For essentially the most half, this transformation has benefitted Thompson’s effectivity. He is probably not scoring as many factors or grabbing as many boards, however he’s definitely doing so at a better clip.
Whereas he’s placing up smaller numbers, he’s capturing extra effectively from two (whereas avoiding his dangerous capturing all collectively), taking higher pictures and committing much less turnovers. He’s additionally enjoying significantly lowered minutes, averaging solely 11.2 minutes per sport, in comparison with 30.2 in 2019-20.
It’s also vital to say that, whereas his stats had been environment friendly, he additionally missed 25 video games as a result of testing constructive for a banned performance-enhancing substance. Whereas he performed excellently earlier than the suspension, being one of many gamers who might spark vitality off the bench, he appeared to wrestle after returning.
Is it value it for Cleveland?
Contemplating Cleveland already has their two premier large males locked up, Thompson received’t be anticipated to hold a heavy load. Mirrored in his wage, and contract size, he’ll be anticipated to be a way more supplementary participant.
On this position, Thompson might very effectively discover his groove. Much like gamers like Dwight Howard, JR Smith and Carmelo Anthony (not that Thompson’s at this degree), Thompson might simply reinvent his sport. He type of has already, the truth is.
So was it value it for the Cavaliers? If Thompson is ready to put up the identical high quality stats he did final season, then it very effectively might be. Even when his manufacturing isn’t substantial, the effectivity he placed on show final season can be a superb, if constant, help to the Mobley-Allen tandem.
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Featured photograph courtesy of NBA.com
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