Cleveland Cavaliers: 5 stars to shine in the 2018-19 season

4, Tristan Thompson

No. This is not a “5 most disappointing Cleveland Cavaliers” article. Tristan Thompson is without a doubt a player that belongs in this conversation. At 27, Thompson has just entered his prime, meaning that his best years are ahead of him.

Now with LeBron James out of the picture, Thompson will receive more minutes on the floor as either the starting center or a valuable sixth man off the bench.

With LeBron James taking most of the team’s shots last season, Thompson’s rebounding abilities were dramatically limited. With prolific rebounders Love and James grabbing most of the boards, Thompson seemed to have almost no impact on the game whenever he stepped on the court.

Now with James gone, the team is full of shooters, ready to maximize Thompson’s abilities. Heavy 3-point shooting always helps rebounders shine, making it almost impossible to imagine Thompson getting fewer than 10 rebounds per game, were he to get the starting spot.

We all know that Thompson is capable of averaging a solid 10-10. He basically did before the arrival of LeBron James during his third and fourth season. Will we see an improved version? We are about to find out.