Tristan Thompson

[Tornicade]

Tristan is in a slump he will bounce back. these locker room issues and his adjustment to having zeller and deng on the floor will take him a moment to adapt.

not to mention The crazy assignments Brown has been giving him on the perimeter

 

[ajz20]

Rch has been right along with a lot of other posters. TT would be best as the 3rd big and the first big off the bench on a good team. He is going to have a very solid career as a career role player, but nothing more. The talk of giving him big money on his next contract is absurd. There are tons of TT's in the draft every year. He is nothing special.

 

[*L-Train*]

Rch has been right along with a lot of other posters. TT would be best as the 3rd big and the first big off the bench on a good team. He is going to have a very solid career as a career role player, but nothing more. The talk of giving him big money on his next contract is absurd. There are tons of TT's in the draft every year. He is nothing special.

i like Rch's idea of starting Bennett the rest of the year. we would get a better draft pick and he could get valuable time to develop. it will never happen with Brown's and Grant's job on the line but still...

 

[Amherstcavsfan]

My biggest problem with Tristan has been and will continue to be his vastly overrated defense.

Mike Brown was propping him up to be some sort of all time great defender in the preseason, when in reality, Tristan lacks any type of actual defensive awareness. It's getting exposed badly in this defensive system where everyone is required to hustle and play significant help defense. Case in point was last night when Houston kept isolating Tyler Zeller on the low block with Howard, and our PF is no where to be found, not even in the same galaxy.

In fact, watching the game, I'm not sure if Thompson is a better defender than Anthony Bennett. Bennett is a better, stronger man up defender and Tristan's help defense makes both of them pretty equally bad. So I'm not sure why Thompson is getting so much run on the court other than he's billed as a defensive presence, and thus Mike Brown is going to play him.

Kind of sad. I had really high hopes of a legit paint protector with Thompson when he was drafted, and his game has become more and more rooted to the ground.

 

[Nathan S]

He's just too predictable and passive on defense. 0 blocks, 0 steals, 0 fouls in 35 minutes vs. Houston. He's a ghost on both ends of the court these days...

 

[Cashius X]

He's just too predictable and passive on defense. 0 blocks, 0 steals, 0 fouls in 35 minutes vs. Houston. He's a ghost on both ends of the court these days...

What's worse is that this is becoming a nightly line from him. He blocks and steals numbers are very low, especially for a big man. He averages .5 of each per game.

 

[KyrieIrvingDuke]

He's a center in a power forward's body, and it sucks. It really limits his upside, as he'll always have the handicap of being smaller than every other center, or far less skilled than every other power forward.

A 6'11 TT would be, imo, one of the 10 best centers in the NBA. 6'9 TT is a below-average center who's playing PF for us. He has no perimeter game to speak of, which seriously hurts our guards, mainly Dion/Kyrie, who excel in pick and roll situations. And seriously... do any of us honestly see TT ever being able to reliably hit mid-range jumpers? Banking on that by giving him a meaty contract in a couple years is a bet I'd rather the Cavs not take.

I hope that Grant/Gilbert, among other things, seriously pursue trading TT in some kind of package that could net us a power forward that'd be a better fit next to our dynamic guards.

 

[Nathan S]

Remember the days when he had that feathery little push shot he would take from 6-10 feet out? Man, I miss that Tristan...

 

[Soar]

Remember the days when he had that feathery little push shot he would take from 6-10 feet out? Man, I miss that Tristan...

Part of me was sort of looking forward to seeing how he would do without Andy. And he has looked terrible. Granted against some front lines with Chandler, Howard, and Davis. But I thought he might really loosen up out there. Doesn't seem to be the case.

Has he given up on the jumper?

 

[RchfldCavRaised]

When you see guys like Terrence Jones completely dominate Tristan, you have to scratch your head.

This guy is NOT this shitty. He is simply playing while trying to process way too much. The same way Anthony Bennett is playing.

Terrence Jones was playing off instinct without having to think, and he looked like 10x the prospect Tristan is. But here's the thing... he's really not. Instead, he has a coach who is simplifying the game for him so he can play off instinct instead of overthinking.

That interview with Mike Brown where he talked Craig Sager's head off...

What was the focal point of his answer to Sager? He touched on 5 different issues in 2 minutes. Sager was confused, Greg Anthony was confused, Im still confused.

Tristan is obviously playing confused and overthinking everything as a basketball player. But the same can be said for 75-80% of the team.

 

[Tornicade]

somebodies been watching more tape

 

[RchfldCavRaised]

I know I am probably coming off as bi-polar... switching my angst from Tristans shortcomings to Browns misuse of him now, but its pretty glaring now that Andy is not out there next to him that Tristan really is being misused pretty badly.

I still believe Bennett should start and I still believe Tristan is a 6'9 center who would be best in a first big off bench role where he can interchange between PF/C depending on matchups and really give us a boost as a better than average reserve.

But at this point in time, I cant even continue to criticize him for production he cant create under a coach who every player on our team has regressed under.

Dont give me shit about Luol having to learn to transition from one team to another... LOOK at how he is being used in comparison to how he was used in Chicago!!! Only last night and against NY early in the game did we finally see the patented C cut that Thibs used EVERY NIGHT to get Luol easy buckets. Chicago got him C Cuts where he could use the baseline to attack smaller defenders... we finally put wrinkles into the game so he (and CJ) could use their size and agility to get those C cuts but in the not as advantageous position of the middle of the court. They can convert on those once or twice before a defense will not let that happen once they see the cut coming again, but thats neither here nor there... LOOK how long it took for us to even incorrectly start using Deng to his strength.

Now look back at Tristan.

What is his strength on offense? Crashing the offensive glass

Considering that, he should not be asked to create with his back to the basket. Also, he should be FORCED to take the 15 footer and settle into that mid range area so that while he is parked there in most offensive sets, he can read the releases on teammates shots and get a headstart on crashing the glass using his innate ability to offensive rebound.

THIS NEEDS TO BE REPETITIOUSLY forced on him. Shoot the 15 footer or you are coming out the next dead ball, no discussion. Shoot the 15 footer or I will call a timeout to yank your ass out. Shoot it without thinking or think about it while sitting next to Bernie and Igor. Make it something he doesnt think about for a split second. That early season release will come back. Its all mental for him releasing that jumper. Shoot the fucking thing without being afraid that we wont laugh at your shitty jokes if you miss a few times.

What does Tristan do best on defense? Positional defender who moves his feet and weakside defender who "used" to get up and contest shots

Ok... make sure he is guarding the weakest offensive big on the opposing team. Whatever their size. Doesnt matter. let him do to other teams what other teams are doing to him. Hide Tristan as a man defender on the weakest guy and let him play centerfield as the anchor of our D. And feel free to contest and rotate freely off of your man because your man is the last guy on the other team who will have his number called any fucking way. For some fucking reason, Mike Brown THINKS Tristan is some Bruce Bowen of big men, and he's not. Put him on the weaker offensive players and let him roam like Rick barnes used to do and THAT is why you saw Tristan getting above the rim and blocking shots. Shit, that is what Ibaka fucking does now. Collison and Perk are the strong man defenders... Ibaka is undisciplined but a terror as a weak side helper. The same thing LeBron used to do when he could afford to next to Big Ben, Z and Joe Smith.

Make these adjustments and Tristan can get back on his trajectory of being a very good rotational big man with his head on straight and a asset to any lockerroom. Maybe never the same type of threat as Taj Gibson with the ball in his hands (Taj is now available by the way) but the next best thing.

 

[CosmoKramer]

I still believe Bennett should start and I still believe Tristan is a 6'9 center who would be best in a first big off bench role where he can interchange between PF/C depending on matchups and really give us a boost as a better than average reserve.

I don't understand how anyone can advocate starting Bennett over TT unless we're actively tanking (news flash: we're not). He can't go a minute without a careless foul or a terrible shot. He's the worst defender on the team. His lack of effort on that end is worse than Kyrie, and we're not asking him to shoulder our offense. TT's perfect role right now might be 3rd big off the bench but that's unrealistic for this team, especially with Andy missing time.

But at this point in time, I cant even continue to criticize him for production he cant create under a coach who every player on our team has regressed under.

TT's going through a tough stretch of games right now he let's not forget less than a month ago he had a strong west coast trip (4 double-doubles in 5 games). Overall he's clearly progressed this season under MB. Before this streak of 3 games of single digit scoring he had double digits in 9 of 11 games.

Zeller is a better player this year, his defense is still subpar but not as atrocious as last year. No one is saying he's regressed. It's just easy to look at the team's record and Kyrie's shooting percentages and scream the entire team is regressing, when it's clearly not true.

... LOOK how long it took for us to even incorrectly start using Deng to his strength.

Yeah it took us forever to get Deng going. He only scored 18+ in 4 of his first 6 games as a Cav.

Considering that, he should not be asked to create with his back to the basket. Also, he should be FORCED to take the 15 footer and settle into that mid range area so that while he is parked there in most offensive sets, he can read the releases on teammates shots and get a headstart on crashing the glass using his innate ability to offensive rebound.

THIS NEEDS TO BE REPETITIOUSLY forced on him. Shoot the 15 footer or you are coming out the next dead ball, no discussion. Shoot the 15 footer or I will call a timeout to yank your ass out. Shoot it without thinking or think about it while sitting next to Bernie and Igor. Make it something he doesnt think about for a split second. That early season release will come back. Its all mental for him releasing that jumper. Shoot the fucking thing without being afraid that we wont laugh at your shitty jokes if you miss a few times.

I completely agree with this. Opposing teams are just giving that 15 footer to TT, he just has no confidence in that shot though. Our offense would completely open up if he was consistently hitting it, and he'd also open up room to get to the bucket for himself. Considering the improvement he's made in his shooting since he's been here I'm optimistic he can continue his improvement.

Make these adjustments and Tristan can get back on his trajectory of being a very good rotational big man with his head on straight and a asset to any lockerroom. Maybe never the same type of threat as Taj Gibson with the ball in his hands (Taj is now available by the way) but the next best thing.

You're selling TT short comparing him to Taj Gibson. TT is only 22, Gibson's already 28. Of course Gibson's is going to best him right now, he's in his prime while TT is young. TT still has years of growth and ample ways to improve his game, Taj is a largely a finished product. Don't let a couple bad games fool you, TT can develop into a much better threat than Taj Gibson will the ball in his hands.

 

[I'mWithDan]

Tristan's biggest issue this season is the Cavs having hired a coach like MB. Brown's offensive system, or lack thereof, is where young players go to die.

The only young player MB ever had to "develop" was LeBron and quite frankly, that might have been the easiest developmental job in NBA history. Brown didn't have to teach LBJ the nuances of his position on either side of the court, he just needed to get him to commit to a defensive stance a little more often. Tristan needs far more than that.

Aside from LBJ, the only young player that contributed anything meaningful during his last tenure was Boobie, who was a bit of a flyer. He initially ended up getting on the court because he was a pretty damn good perimeter defender. DG peaked in year 2 and then never really did much else.

Plus, Mike has almost always coached seasoned players. Even as the team was developing in the mid 2000's there was a constant cycle of veteran guys. Brown had to work those players in to the rotation and flow but he never had to take a really green young player and bring him along. That's why it was a little curious as to why MB was hired. He's more of a get you over the hump guy not a let's start from scratch guy.

This can't explain everything away with TT but it's obviously not helping. Still, at 22, he's still a long way away from a finished product. Bigs have a significantly slower development timeline in the NBA, especially ones who enter the league as teenagers.

I'm more inclined to give TT the most time (out of all the young guys). 12 and 10 in year 3 isn't an awful spot to be for a 22 year old PF who still has quite a bit of room to grow.

 

[RchfldCavRaised]

I don't understand how anyone can advocate starting Bennett over TT unless we're actively tanking (news flash: we're not). He can't go a minute without a careless foul or a terrible shot. He's the worst defender on the team. His lack of effort on that end is worse than Kyrie, and we're not asking him to shoulder our offense. TT's perfect role right now might be 3rd big off the bench but that's unrealistic for this team, especially with Andy missing time.



TT's going through a tough stretch of games right now he let's not forget less than a month ago he had a strong west coast trip (4 double-doubles in 5 games). Overall he's clearly progressed this season under MB. Before this streak of 3 games of single digit scoring he had double digits in 9 of 11 games.

Zeller is a better player this year, his defense is still subpar but not as atrocious as last year. No one is saying he's regressed. It's just easy to look at the team's record and Kyrie's shooting percentages and scream the entire team is regressing, when it's clearly not true.



Yeah it took us forever to get Deng going. He only scored 18+ in 4 of his first 6 games as a Cav.



I completely agree with this. Opposing teams are just giving that 15 footer to TT, he just has no confidence in that shot though. Our offense would completely open up if he was consistently hitting it, and he'd also open up room to get to the bucket for himself. Considering the improvement he's made in his shooting since he's been here I'm optimistic he can continue his improvement.



You're selling TT short comparing him to Taj Gibson. TT is only 22, Gibson's already 28. Of course Gibson's is going to best him right now, he's in his prime while TT is young. TT still has years of growth and ample ways to improve his game, Taj is a largely a finished product. Don't let a couple bad games fool you, TT can develop into a much better threat than Taj Gibson will the ball in his hands.

There is a long history of Tristan posts and my concerns with his game/development. Read those and then get back to me. I dont have the time or energy to begin a brand new debate.