Cleveland Cavaliers: Top 10 NBA Draft picks in franchise history
By Frank Urbina
6. Tristan Thompson (PF/C) — No. 4 pick in 2011 NBA Draft
Career stats (with the Cavaliers): 466 GP, 9.4 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 0.8 APG, 0.5 STL, 0.8 BLK, 1.1 TOV, 51.5 FG%, 0/9 3PT, 61.1 FT%
Coincidentally, a player somewhat similar to Hot Rod in Tristan Thompson comes in at No. 6 on our countdown.
No, Thompson’s career numbers aren’t remarkable. He’s not even the most talented big man on our list, let along among his peers in the NBA today. Regardless, he makes up for his deficiencies (and then some) with his nonstop energy.
Thompson’s abilities as a defender and, more importantly, on the offensive glass, make him one of the biggest pests in the league. (That’s meant in the most complimentary way possible, by the way.)
Every year since LeBron’s return to Cleveland, the team has been better with Thompson on the floor than with him off. That number peaked in 2015-16, when the Cavs were a robust +4.7 points per 100 possessions with the former Texas Longhorn on the court. What’s more, that clip got even better throughout the 2016 playoffs, when Cleveland was +6.2 points per 100 possessions with Thompson in the game.
As most anyone reading this will remember, that was a pretty important postseason in Cavs history — one that culminated in the team’s first championship ever. In Game 6 of that year’s Finals, a must-win for Cleveland (obviously), Thompson boasted a +32 plus/minus, in large part thanks to his 15 points, 16 boards and three assists on 6-of-6 shooting.
So no, Cleveland’s center isn’t the most talented player ever. But his vital contributions to the team’s 2016 title run more than earned him his lofty position in this ranking.