Cleveland Cavaliers: Ranking the last 10 first-round picks

2. Tristan Thompson

Tristan Thompson has seemingly been with the Cavs forever and is aging like a fine wine. While the big man never hit superstar status, his game has continued to be the bedrock of Cleveland basketball for almost a decade.

Thompson arrived as the fourth pick in the 2011 Draft, the highest-ever drafted Canadian at the time. Largely coming off the bench as a rookie, Thompson averaged 8.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks per game during the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season, earning a place on the All-Rookie Second Team.

For the next two seasons, Thompson became a model of consistency, starting all 82 games each year, averaging 11.7 points per game each year, and averaging at least 9.2 rebounds per game each year.

The arrivals of Love and James in 2014 sent Thompson back to the bench, but he eventually returned to the starting lineup and continued to play a key role on the team, contributing to the franchise’s first title.

Injury struggles have limited Thompson in recent years, but he’s become a double-double machine when healthy, averaging a career-high 10.2 rebounds in 2018-19 and career-high 12.0 points per game in 2019-20.

With his five-year, $82 million ending this offseason, it’s possible Thompson’s run with Cleveland will finally come to an end. He never made an All-Star team, but he’s been an indelible part of the franchise for the last decade.