Tristan Thompson talks returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers, expectations for Evan Mobley

While many eyes were glued to the various stars on this year’s iteration of the Cleveland Cavaliers at media day, Tristan Thompson reminisced on his career and what he can bring to his second stint as a Cavalier.

One of the first things Thompson stated was how he always knew that there would be a return to Cleveland in some way.

“I always felt like I’d return back here,” Thompson said. “Whether it was a player or whatever it may be.”

When asked what Thompson brings to the team, Cavs President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman when asked what about Thompson caused the Cavaliers to bring him back to Cleveland emphasized his toughness and leadership.

“Tristan can play...so that is part of it,” he said. “He is going to inject some of that toughness. He is gonna push us to heights we hope can get to (like) when we had him as a starting center.”

It seems the return was a mutual interest as Thompson when asked what allured him to Cleveland spoke on the capability of the young, talented, and deep roster.

“I saw they had something special brewing and had to be a part of it,” he said. “Hopefully someday soon I’ll be in my second parade in downtown Cleveland.”

When Thompson was announced it seemed like he was going to be a good mentor for the talented and versatile Cleveland backcourt. When asked how Evan Mobley has changed since he last saw him, Thompson went on to talk about how even his view on who Mobley could be has evolved. Thompson went into depth about when Evan was a rookie he thought he was a modern Chris Bosh, however, as Evan has grown into such an impactful defense player, he knows feels like the closer comparison is Anthony Davis. Thompson said he told Mobley how “you need to be Anthony Davis for this team”.

It is clear that Thompson wants to help continue the culture and instill a mentality in this Cavaliers’ team. Thompson reflected on his time when he was a young player in the league and the veterans that helped him be molded into the player that helped bring a title home to Cleveland. Thompson named players like LeBron James and Kendrick Perkins as veterans who pushed him in the post-season and helped develop the mentality it takes to win a grueling play series.