Tristan Thompson available against Miami Heat

For the first time in weeks Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson will be available to play against the Miami Heat.

Whether or not Thompson plays will ultimately be the decision of Larry Drew, however Thompson participated in practice and is ready should his number be called.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see the team take a cautious approach with Thompson, as his health is a bigger priority than winning this season. If he does play it would help alleviate the load on Larry Nance Jr. against one of the more physical players in the league in Hassan Whiteside.

Once Thompson is fully healthy, he will likely resume his role as the team’s starting center, shifting Nance back to his ideal bench role. Having Nance play more with the second unit moving forward should help the team make use of his ability as a play-maker and better maintain offensive consistency throughout the game, not to mention Thompson’s ability to manage the physical toll playing as the starting center has on Nance.

A healthy Tristan also has made for a better fit alongside Collin Sexton than Nance this season. While almost all lineup data is negative for the team, the Cavs and Sexton have performed better when Thompson is on the court than with Nance. While Nance has played considerably better with Sexton on the bench, and the team has had a +4 net rating on the year when he plays without the rookie point guard.