Tristan Thompson

[BimboColesHair]

Tristan needs to have another summer or 3 to let the shooting become natural. It is a possibility to become a half-capable shooter from 10 feet out but he's confusing his shooting with his push shots. It's extremely hard to push shot 10-15 feet away. He already has figured out some of the defensive sets and plays hard. He just needed someone who stretches the floor unlike Andy and someone big enough to overcome his lack of height so he doesn't guard centers. If he ever becomes a night in-night out 15-10 threat, we're going places based on the direction. And if we ever upgrade without losing him, he makes for a high quality off the bench guy with small ball tendencies.

Unfortunately, I don't know how the negotiations will look with him, so be prepared if he isn't here between 1-3 years. I'll be his fan no matter what.

Completely agree. To be honest, I think people completely forget about the mentality he also has to develop. They just want to see him shoot since they heard he worked on it all summer, but he has never been that kind of player...it's something he has to work into his game mentally when there is no pressure, which is why I think you saw him take a lot more in the preseason than in the regular season. Can't imagine Tristan ever shooting a lot of jumpers in games while he was growing up, so asking a player to completely rework his game from a mental standpoint in one off-season is a little crazy.

 

[JSS2306]

Obviously it depends on the match ups or system but Tristan is very limited talent wise with what he can and cannot do. I like him, I want to keep him, but he should be coming off the bench in the same way Bennett is as of right now in realistic terms. Obviously we need his production but I hope in the next few years Bennett really becomes the player we all hope he can be because Tristan is going to be exposed in the playoffs. Flat out.

 

[CosmoKramer]

Obviously it depends on the match ups or system but Tristan is very limited talent wise with what he can and cannot do. I like him, I want to keep him, but he should be coming off the bench in the same way Bennett is as of right now in realistic terms. Obviously we need his production but I hope in the next few years Bennett really becomes the player we all hope he can be because Tristan is going to be exposed in the playoffs. Flat out.

Let's not overreact to one game. Tristan shot poorly tonight, SA is a great defensive team with an all-time great inside. They are a top 10 defense in terms of opponent FG%, and the 6th best defense by points per game.

It was nice seeing AB hit some garbage time jumpers, it was not nice seeing him pick up silly fouls when the game actually mattered. He's not a serious challenge to unseat Tristan as starter for the rest of the year.

Recently we've played 5 times against top 10 defenses (Memphis, Toronto (2x), OKC, and SA.) TT is averaging 12 points and 9.4 rebounds with only 1 turnover in those games. I'm not worried he'll disappear against playoff caliber defenses.

 

[redscoon]

I'm afraid Tristan is one of those guys that's going to be chronically over-valued because of how likeable he is. He is still very young with plenty of time to improve, but a big that is not an explosive finisher, doesn't control the paint defensively and can't stretch the floor with his jumper is not a building block. He really doesn't even have a jumper now. It's just an awkward push shot that he can only utilize when he's wide open. He's got a ton of work to do in that area for it to even be serviceable, let alone a positive. On top of that, he seems to be less trusting in it now than when the season first started and the switch was fresh.

Right now, Tristan is a guy that looks a lot better in the box score than he does on film. I don't want to label him as strictly a hollow numbers guy, but there haven't been many games where I feel we would not have won without him.

 

[mAo_mAo]

TT's assets are his likeability, insane motor, defense (slowly becoming overrated to me). His cons are being undersized, inexistent offensive game, limited explosiveness, low offensive awareness, not a shot blocking presence. Really a bad combo for a starting caliber "4" and even a "5".

 

[Spencer Hawes]

Stop it guys, we all know that Torn has already proven that TT's jumper is comparable if not better than Dirk, Kevin Love and LA. With one more off-season to work on his form watch out!

I know you fear the Tristan Rainbow. you should embrace it and bask in its soft warm glow.

Ill give ya a challenge rchfield name me 3 starting power forwards with a better mid range game this season than Tristan Thompson. and ill give you a statistical break down. showing comparable numbers. We can also do a year by year progression and compare those as well.

 

[oasis05]

Varejao showed a jumper when he stepped into the league. Thompson has a lot to prove this off season. His contract season is closing in..

 

[Fuggles]

Varejao showed a jumper when he stepped into the league. Thompson has a lot to prove this off season. His contract season is closing in..

 

[MD13]

I'm afraid Tristan is one of those guys that's going to be chronically over-valued because of how likeable he is. He is still very young with plenty of time to improve, but a big that is not an explosive finisher, doesn't control the paint defensively and can't stretch the floor with his jumper is not a building block. He really doesn't even have a jumper now. It's just an awkward push shot that he can only utilize when he's wide open. He's got a ton of work to do in that area for it to even be serviceable, let alone a positive. On top of that, he seems to be less trusting in it now than when the season first started and the switch was fresh.

Right now, Tristan is a guy that looks a lot better in the box score than he does on film. I don't want to label him as strictly a hollow numbers guy, but there haven't been many games where I feel we would not have won without him.

I think even that is overestimating his paint defense to be honest. His style is to stay anchored to the ground and contest with his arms straight up, but it's almost useless because he's undersized and often late or completely misses rotations. I've seen so many instances this year of a guard getting past his man and getting an easy layup while Tristan is on the other side of the rim with his head turned around. Given that he's not a giant like Roy Hibbert, he needs to consistently beat people to the spot and force them to take shots from farther out than they'd like or from awkward angles, and I just haven't seen him do that consistently enough.

 

[DatDudeZ3]

Tristan's doubters come out right on cue after his first bad game in a couple weeks...

 

[CavRunner]

It just seems like even when Tristan plays well you can still see his lack of offensive and defensive versatility.

 

[Tornicade]

bad game aside. Tristans efficiency from outside has gone down. thats because teams are somewhat honoring his jump shot and is a big reason why his efficiency within 8 feet has improved. Tristan will need to adjust but this is a positive not a negative.also he is making 1.5 attempts per game outside in the last 12. He now has to learn when to take this shot and when to get the ball over to spencer who is a better range shooter..

 

[CosmoKramer]

I think even that is overestimating his paint defense to be honest. His style is to stay anchored to the ground and contest with his arms straight up, but it's almost useless because he's undersized and often late or completely misses rotations. I've seen so many instances this year of a guard getting past his man and getting an easy layup while Tristan is on the other side of the rim with his head turned around. Given that he's not a giant like Roy Hibbert, he needs to consistently beat people to the spot and force them to take shots from farther out than they'd like or from awkward angles, and I just haven't seen him do that consistently enough.

Calling Tristan 'almost useless' on defense is hilarious. With Andy out he's easily our best defensive big. Hawes, AB, and TZ all blow far more rotations a game than Tristan does, saying otherwise is ignoring an entire season of proof and overreacting to a single game.

IMO his greatest strength is his lateral agility, which is elite for a big. His defense, anchored to the ground with his arms up, lets him constantly best dribblers to spots and forces difficult shots over his out stretched arms without fouling. He does this much more consistently than any other big on our team right now.

 

[Soar]

Tristan is mostly a hustle player. He has a lot more skills than a Reggie Evans. But Tristan mostly impacts a game with his hustle.

The thing that is frustrating for me is how robotic he looks on offense. He isn't smooth on that end. And at times it is downright ugly.

The mythical jumper will determine his upside. His lack of one puts him in too many bad situations.

 

[Splitz]

Varejao showed a jumper when he stepped into the league. Thompson has a lot to prove this off season. His contract season is closing in..

he showed one but it didn't go in