Ranking the 12 best players that LeBron James has played with
By Cal Durrett
LeBron Teammate #9: Tristan Thompson
While Tristan Thompson didn’t put up huge numbers as a teammate of LeBron’s, he was still a contributor to his success. Thompson was already on the Cavaliers when LeBron came back to Cleveland, and he proved to be a good rotation player once the team got going.
His rebounding, particularly his offensive rebounding, as well as his defensive ability, were key during LeBron’s second run with the Cavs, helping them make the NBA Finals four seasons in a row and win it all in 2016. Thompson’s ability to switch onto Curry proved crucial, allowing the Cavs to stay big while also being able to keep a body on him.
Actually, according to Scott Rafferty of the Sporting News, Thompson held Curry to 34.6% shooting from the field while defending him on 26 shot attempts. He was the second-best defender on the team in one-on-one situations behind—you guessed it—LeBron. LeBron later joined the Lakers, while Thompson later retired. However, Thompson came out of retirement and signed with the Lakers, again teaming with LeBron.