FanPost

The Problem With Tristan Thompson

If anyone has followed any of my commentary on this site, you will know I am not the biggest Tristan Thompson supporter. While watching the games this weekend, I figured out exactly why.

1. While I have seen progress in Tristan’s game from last season, I have seen almost no progress on the offensive side of the floor. This is a serious problem for me due to point 2.

2. Defensive Power Forwards are not the most useful commodity in the NBA. The reason for this is that you need some kind of scoring out of your post players. Having a defensive PF means that you need an offensively gifted center. This is literally the most rare and sought-after player in the NBA. Scoring Centers are incredibly hard to find and you may see one enter the league every 5 years or so.

3. Having a PF that plays close to the basket clogs the lane. If your PF never commands a double-team and you don’t have a center that can consistently range out for a 15-20 footer. The lane is clogged for your scoring guards (Kyrie, Dion) Again, this is the problem with an undersized defensive PF. Currently, PF is the premier offensive position in the NBA, this allows the Center to protect the rim and be a primarily defensive player.

4. Many people point to Ben Wallace as to why this type of player can enjoy success. The problem with this statement is that Rasheed Wallace isn’t walking through the door. The Cavs are not going to find an elite player with both a post-game and range out to the 3 point line. This is the type of player that Tristan Thompson requires in the post. They are almost impossible to find.

5. Even if Tristan continues to improve on the defensive end of the court, it will never be enough to balance out the problems he causes the Cavaliers on offense. He can’t spread the floor, he cannot get his own shot, he is not a great passer, he does not set picks well, he cannot run the pick-and-roll (Watch him when he tries). Tristan is not athletic enough to power through defenders and dunk, he is not a great shot blocker, he has no touch, and he can’t shoot free-throws.

6. However, all of these flaws become masked when he becomes the first big off the bench. The Cavaliers need to really focus on finding a starting PF that can get his own shot. A PF who commands a double-team will open up the three point shot. If we can find one who can shoot, it allows him to drift out to 15 feet and make jumpers. This allows more room for Kyrie and Dion to penetrate and cause problems. Also, with Andy crashing the boards as hard as he does, we don’t really need a dominant rebounding PF to play next to him.

This is a Fan-Created Comment on FearTheSword.com. The opinion here is not necessarily shared by the editorial staff at FearTheSword

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