Greatest unsung hero in every NBA team’s history

Cleveland Cavaliers: Tristan Thompson

Let’s be honest. Most NBA fans know Tristan Thompson more for his off-the-court life than anything he’s done with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Even if you do only know Thompson for his on-court production, it’s because he spent four seasons existing in LeBron James’ orbit, which he parlayed into an obscenely large contract for a player of his caliber.

With all that in mind, it’s easy to look askance at Thompson as an NBA player. However, in the seven-plus seasons Thompson has spent in Cleveland, he has become one of the most dependable players in franchise history.

Between 2013 and 2017, Thompson went through a stretch where he played in 447 consecutive games. This was the longest active streak in the NBA during that span.

To go that long without missing a single game requires a combination of luck, good health and skill. If Thompson played terribly, he would’ve racked up some DNP’s in that time frame. While no one will confuse Thompson for even a third-tier star player, he was an important part of some good Cavaliers teams.

Despite his obvious shortcomings in his offensive game, Thompson was an effective roll man for James and Kyrie Irving. He was also adept at snatching offensive boards (3.4 per game for his career) to give his team extra chances to put points on the board.

On defense, Thompson isn’t anything special, but as he showed in the 2016 NBA Finals, he possesses the versatility to protect the rim and help out on the perimeter.

While it’s alluring to look at Thompson as a bit of a laughingstock, he has proven himself as a reliable player for this franchise.