Tristan Thompson

[Derek]

TT is 6'7.5 without shoes and 6'8.75 with shoes. and Kevin Love is 6'7.75 without shoes and 6'9.5 with shoes so he was wearing high heels at the combine.
Both of them are as tall as Lebron.
I think if Love and TT are able to play the Center I have no doubt Lebron would be a pretty good one aswell.

Either that, or he was wearing normal basketball shoes. Every pair I've ever owned has about 1.5-2 inch soles.

 

[BimboColesHair]

Either that, or he was wearing normal basketball shoes. Every pair I've ever owned has about 1.5-2 inch soles.

I don't get complaints about size without shoes or height to the top of your head...

They play in shoes, and they use their arms to block shots, deflect passes, finish inside, etc....these guys aren't playing soccer in the favelas of Brazil...

 

[Tornicade]

Tristans efficiency ratings VS JV and Drummond in qualified matchups
Won Matchups : 4
Cavaliers Record : 4 W - 0 L
Date GameScore Eff Oppeff Diffeff
Nov 18vs A. Drummond W104-81 23 12 +11
Nov 15vs J. Valanciunas W121-117 25 19 +6
Nov 3vs T. Zeller W128-122 32 25 +7
Oct 28vs J. Valanciunas W94-91 22 15 +7

 

[InBoobieWeTrust]

It's twice as hard doing that when you are undersized at 6'7.5-8 playing Center..

I mean I really don't think it's as much about height as it is about how smart and tough you are.

Sure, KG/Duncan had the size to go along with all of that, but when you look at guys like Ben Wallace and Dennis Rodman, they were arguably even GREATER defenders/anchors than KG and Duncan even though they were short because they had a couple things in common. They had huge wingspans, the were strong as hell, and they were some of the smartest defenders in NBA history.

I'm not saying TT will ever be a Rodman or a Ben Wallace, but he has similar traits in that he's very long, very strong, and very smart. He doesn't have the mean streak or craziness that those guys had, but he's a "kill em with kindness" kind of guy but he has the same motor and always competes.

I really don't think a 6'8 center in todays NBA is at much of a disadvantage at all when it comes to anchoring a defense.

 

[Jon]

Height is certainly nice, sometimes opponents will shoot over Tristan with ease, but I'm not going to worry about until someone shows they can dominate the game doing it.

Lower body strength and the ability to deny low-post position and quick feet are even more important attributes for a C. It's hard to get everything all rolled in to one player.

 

[BimboColesHair]

I mean I really don't think it's as much about height as it is about how smart and tough you are.

Sure, KG/Duncan had the size to go along with all of that, but when you look at guys like Ben Wallace and Dennis Rodman, they were arguably even GREATER defenders/anchors than KG and Duncan even though they were short because they had a couple things in common. They had huge wingspans, the were strong as hell, and they were some of the smartest defenders in NBA history.

I'm not saying TT will ever be a Rodman or a Ben Wallace, but he has similar traits in that he's very long, very strong, and very smart. He doesn't have the mean streak or craziness that those guys had, but he's a "kill em with kindness" kind of guy but he has the same motor and always competes.

I really don't think a 6'8 center in todays NBA is at much of a disadvantage at all when it comes to anchoring a defense.

Yup...in today's NBA give me good length, good change of direction on the perimeter, and knowledge of proper rotations over pure height any day from a big.

Guys like Kanter, Meyers Leonard, Olynyk, the Zeller brothers, etc. have all the height in the world...but they aren't good defenders in the modern day NBA because they all lack 1 of those traits.

Shit, even Drummond himself isn't as good on defense as he should be because he continues to lack knowledge of making a proper rotation or gets baited into block attempts.

 

[JMoneyYourHoney]

Still don't think that TT is a "center". He's a power-forward playing out of position.

But he's invaluable against Golden State so I guess that's all that matters. I do think though that Dwight is going to own that matchup in the playoffs.

 

[FrontPageNews]

Still don't think that TT is a "center". He's a power-forward playing out of position.

But he's invaluable against Golden State so I guess that's all that matters. I do think though that Dwight is going to own that matchup in the playoffs.

He is in no way a PF. Maybe 20 years ago back when PF and centers were the same just smaller. But every part of his game says center. He's just slightly smaller.

 

[Zog]

He is in no way a PF. Maybe 20 years ago back when PF and centers were the same just smaller. But every part of his game says center. He's just slightly smaller.

So you're saying he's a center stuck in a PF's body.

 

[InBoobieWeTrust]

So you're saying he's a center stuck in a PF's body.

I'd say he's just a flat out modern-NBA center. Just because he's not 7 feet tall and slow doesn't mean he doesnt have a lot of physical attributes of a center.

 

[Jon]

I'd say he's just a flat out modern-NBA center. Just because he's not 7 feet tall and slow doesn't mean he doesnt have a lot of physical attributes of a center.

Lets see if he can hold up to the grind. There are a lot of 7-footers who could play C but did their best to avoid it because of the wear & tear.

 

[FrontPageNews]

Lets see if he can hold up to the grind. There are a lot of 7-footers who could play C but did their best to avoid it because of the wear & tear.

That was the case like 15 years ago with KG and Duncan, but there really arent that many bigs who wear anyone out anymore.

 

[dark2332]

Lets see if he can hold up to the grind. There are a lot of 7-footers who could play C but did their best to avoid it because of the wear & tear.

I don't think the 2 inches of height he's giving away really has anything to do with it. The wear and tear would have more to do with him being severely out-weighed and facing an uphill battle in terms of physical strength every night fighting for position.

I think in today's NBA, he's a sturdy-enough build for a center. If he gets any bigger, he might not be quite the high-flyer, and much of his game is that.

The only pivots in the East who I would consider taxing players on Tristan, physically, would be Dwight and Drummond. They are brutes in the paint, and he has to work very hard to keep them off the glass. He would wake up the next morning feeling that.

Guys like JV, Embiid, Horford, are good players, but not exactly players who out-muscle him or play that sort of game.

In the West, he would have problems with Deandre Jordan, Andrew Bogut, and a motivated Boogie Cousins.

Again, I don't mean this in terms of having a poor game or severely under-matched against these players, but more-so in terms of him feeling it the next day on the nights he does.

 

[Jon]

That was the case like 15 years ago with KG and Duncan, but there really arent that many bigs who wear anyone out anymore.

Yeah, Shaq is gone, but there's still a lot of bigger and heavier men TT has to constantly fight for position in the paint. He may not "wear out" but it does take a toll.

 

[The Human Q-Tip]

That was the case like 15 years ago with KG and Duncan, but there really arent that many bigs who wear anyone out anymore.

I don't know. There seem to be a few more of them than there were in the past. Embiid, Drummond, Jordan, developing guys like Adams. And even if they aren't he big guys who wear on you physically, a length advantage can still be pretty important. JV is developing, etc....

I worry what is going to happen if we run up against one of those guys when they're on a contending team. I'm of the belief that the primary reason the Golden State series turned around was their loss of Bogut -- it shifted the entire balance of physicality in the series.