Tristan Thompson

[CalBuckeyeRob]

TT seems to be the type of player that takes pride in his performance and will work hard to get better. He is only 21. If he adds a little to his offense each year he could have a nice array of scoring moves by age 25. I doubt he will ever be able to shoot well, but if he can pose a threat to score from multiple areas around the basket he will be effective. If this team is going to become a champion he won't be one of the marquee guys, but that does not mean he won't be important to the outcome.

[Kiddo]

Big men tend to develop slower...plus if i remember correctly Tristan has not been playing for all that long (i could be mistaken). It seems like he has a good head and good work ethic, two things you cant teach. Give it some time.

[mhi]

I feel like these big threads consist of the same conversions going on in circles.

[Kizzle]

lol I did the sae thing you guys did and throw out an opinion and because it wasnt the same as you guys' appearently im a know it all and can predict the future. Key words in my post....were I THINK, MAYBE, and I DONT THINK TT IS A BAD PLAYER. Guessed you guys missed those

[Kizzle]

If you go deeper back in thisthread im constantly the guy saying give him more time he will be good. I was just commenting on the statement that he would become a star..which I dont think he will. But im very different to argue with on the internet than other people because I DONT CARE IF IM WRONG. Id RATHER be wrong and TT end up like Tyson Chandler or something. Im not a guy thatll predict we lose and when we do say haha told you so. Theres no use of anybody gong further in this because I like TT's game and I WANT to be wrong but I just dont see him being a star...Sorry

[mAo_mAo]

What I like about TT these past few games is his confidence. I also think that between him and Kyrie, he will be a better leader and a locker room stabilizer.

[MGMT]

I feel like these big threads consist of the same conversions going on in circles.

It's kind of like a dog chasing its tail. Some people, with certain arguments will never, ever fucking stop, regardless if they will never succeed.

I don't know whether to commend some people on their relentlessness, or to feel sorry for them for being a zombie. But hey, I'm in the club too. I am hellbent on winning the argument that Shabazz can be a 3 even though people will continue to tell me he is a 2. It's a vortex of no triumph that I continue to involve myself in and as I admit this I drown in a deep pool of my own hypocrisy.

To make this post slightly on topic, the past couple games his offense has actually looked pretty good (finishing contested shots, not getting blocked frequently, etc). I'll gladly take the baby steps this early.

[Tornicade]

Im confused. are we supposed to be discussing the topic or discussing the discussion or discussing the discussion of the discussion.

[Biw]

If you go deeper back in thisthread im constantly the guy saying give him more time he will be good. I was just commenting on the statement that he would become a star..which I dont think he will. But im very different to argue with on the internet than other people because I DONT CARE IF IM WRONG. Id RATHER be wrong and TT end up like Tyson Chandler or something. Im not a guy thatll predict we lose and when we do say haha told you so. Theres no use of anybody gong further in this because I like TT's game and I WANT to be wrong but I just dont see him being a star...Sorry

I guess I just can't see how you can write him off as not being a starter for a good team in the future. If this was his sixth year in the league and you were saying this, I wouldn't have much issue with that, but to say that he'll never be starter quality this early into his career is absolutely crazy to me. There's no way you can know that this early into his development as a player. The guy was a raw, one and done defensive minded PF. We knew he was going to be a project coming in(offensively anyway). I for one think he has shown improvement this year offensively, and especially in these last few games.

I'm not saying he'll be a star or anything close to it. All I'm saying is that I'm not ruling it out because quite frankly I'm not educated enough on EVERY past NBA star's(or starter's for that matter) careers to say that Tristan won't ever be one.

[chrisrich91]

These kinds of statements baffle me. How do you know what these players will turn out to be. With the exception of players like sloan, boobie, etc, we have no idea how TT, Waiters, or Zeller will turn out. Yet they have already be nominated as busts, waste of picks, bench riders, role players, etc. They could all end of "bonafide stars" or they couldn't, we don't know.

I'm just sitting back and watching them develop. They are showing signs of improving. I'll give Grant credit for one thing for sure, The personalities and fight in our last two years of draft picks are top notch.

I was the first Dion Waiters fan on this board. And it was months before we drafted him. Check the posts.

I have been a TT supporter since the beginning...mostly because of his draft class and the fact that I think he will turn out to be a nice piece to replace Andy.

I love Zeller and have been thrilled with him. With a proper strength and conditioning program and some more bulk I think he will be a solid big for us.

As you can see, I have not named any of these three busts or wastes of picks. I even said that Dion has "a realistic shot at being special". Now, if you can watch Tristan's complete lack of fluidity when it comes to offensive moves and still say that he will be a star, you are a poor talent evaluator. If you've ever seen him attempt a jumpshot, it should be apparent to you that he will never have a reliable one. No amount of practice can change the fact that he is naturally incapable of producing the fluidity of a consistent jump shot. So, if you think he can become an elite rebounder and great defender while doing a bit of scoring around the rim, that's fine and I may agree with you. I consider that a role player. Nothing wrong with that.

Zeller has skill, so you can make an argument that he has a shot to be a star. The skill is there, the measurables and elite athleticism isn't...I think he'll be a role player and not a star. To say he has a realistic shot at becoming a star would be homerism. Saying he has an outside shot? That's fair.

So I think I was actually very fair in my assessment of our young players. Kyrie is a stud. Waiters looks like he can develop into a stud. The other two have bright futures with the team in particular roles. There IS a lot of work left to do with the roster. I am not bashing anyone...that's just where we are. I am actually happy with the rebuild so far. If we add a star caliber guy with our pick and another solid role guy with our LA pick this year, I think we're ready to add some vets and start winning some basketball games.

[STAT]

Im confused. are we supposed to be discussing the topic or discussing the discussion or discussing the discussion of the discussion.

So meta.

[Frank Reynolds]

Anyone notice lately when TT is gathering under the hoop, he uses the rim as protection and goes under the hoop and dunks on the other side? I have been saying this for so long.

Tristan is a really weird player. I totally see what everyone sees, but it's not like he's a scrub athlete. Maybe we won't call him a freak athlete, but he's solid, his problem is that he doesn't really utilize his athletic gifts at all. It almost appears like he can't access his physical gifts at all. I think Tristan being so predictable reallllllly negates his athletic abilities. MYoung has mentioned the word robotic and it definitely appears that way when he's on the court.

I think his biggest attribute, is obviously his quickness. He can get into the lane, and contort his body to get between people, it's just that he gets stuck there and people know what he's gonna do. His pump fakes are just not believable, and he's going to try it multiple times in a row.


It's just strange though, because there are shots for him to take out there, in the flow of the game. He'll show you a little something, he can get his jump hook off in the lane no problem, it's just that all of his shots clang out. He's had some really shitty luck getting friendly rolls to drop for him.

For the people calling for this cat to work on his jumper, absolutely not. This man has no jumper, and he's never going to have one. Do not try to put a square peg in a round hole.

He needs the Antawn Jamison hookshot barrage. He needs silly little shots that he can just schlep up there and get himself some garbage points. We just need to accept that Tristan will likely never really have much of an offensive game.

I'm still not going to give up on him though. He's definitely a true Power Forward. Yes, maybe he's got that weird body build, but he's definitely not a tweener like Derrick Williams or Jeff Green. Thompson can also give you some minutes at the center, and that's a bonus. Your definitely not going to be running Derrick Williams out there as a Center.

I still can see Thompson's lateral mobility, and that was supposedly a huge factor in why we liked him. I think rather than wasting time trying to develop his offense, he should carve out a niche for himself as a defender with limited offensive game: like Varejao originally was.

Thompson's lateral mobility should allow him to defend the pick and roll at a high level, and he can show on the pick and roll, but also be quick enough to recover and use his shot blocking reflexes.

We need to get Tristan to a state of non-thinking and just Reacting on the court. He was touted as a defender coming out, and we should re focus his efforts to excelling at defense. Once he masters the defensive system, he'll be able to use his natural timing and reflexes and hopefully his quickness to his advantage.

Right now he looks out of his element, and predictable. We need to return him to just having fun, reacting, and making a living on the defensive end first.

[Lottery God]

I was the first Dion Waiters fan on this board. And it was months before we drafted him. Check the posts.

I have been a TT supporter since the beginning...mostly because of his draft class and the fact that I think he will turn out to be a nice piece to replace Andy.

I love Zeller and have been thrilled with him. With a proper strength and conditioning program and some more bulk I think he will be a solid big for us.

As you can see, I have not named any of these three busts or wastes of picks. I even said that Dion has "a realistic shot at being special". Now, if you can watch Tristan's complete lack of fluidity when it comes to offensive moves and still say that he will be a star, you are a poor talent evaluator. If you've ever seen him attempt a jumpshot, it should be apparent to you that he will never have a reliable one. No amount of practice can change the fact that he is naturally incapable of producing the fluidity of a consistent jump shot. So, if you think he can become an elite rebounder and great defender while doing a bit of scoring around the rim, that's fine and I may agree with you. I consider that a role player. Nothing wrong with that.

Zeller has skill, so you can make an argument that he has a shot to be a star. The skill is there, the measurables and elite athleticism isn't...I think he'll be a role player and not a star. To say he has a realistic shot at becoming a star would be homerism. Saying he has an outside shot? That's fair.

So I think I was actually very fair in my assessment of our young players. Kyrie is a stud. Waiters looks like he can develop into a stud. The other two have bright futures with the team in particular roles. There IS a lot of work left to do with the roster. I am not bashing anyone...that's just where we are. I am actually happy with the rebuild so far. If we add a star caliber guy with our pick and another solid role guy with our LA pick this year, I think we're ready to add some vets and start winning some basketball games.

This is a serious question. A guy can't be a star unless he's a scorer? That's what I pulled from your post. You basically discredited any chance TT could ever be a "star" if he can't get a jump shot. I'm not arguing for TT or anyone in this post as being a future star or not. I'm just critiquing your logic. I'd consider Rodman a star even though he wasn't a scorer. He is a hall-of-famer, after all, and he certainly didn't do it scoring. I believe that contributions to winning a game go beyond just points that you score for your team; it's the overall effect in changing the game to your team's favor that you supply as a player that determines value. A guy who is an elite rebounder and defender who only scores 10 a game can certainly be just as much of a star as a player who scores at will, but can't defend well or rebound.

As for your comment about Tyler having a chance of being argued as a possible future star because he's skilled, I say to you that guys who live off of pure athleticism can be stars as well. See Dwight Howard. He's not the most skilled player, but his sheer athleticism allows him to dominate opponents.

Also, a player can not have great measurables or athleticism, but still be a star. Kyrie is just like Zeller: Skilled, but not great measurables (6'4" wingspan compared to 6'9" wingspans from guys like Rose, etc.), and he's definitely not an elite athlete. Therefore, he's not a star by your logic? It's too simplified. The game is more than just that.

If I had to predict the futures of the players, I'd agree with you in that Kyrie is a stud, Dion can turn into a stud, and the other two will have "bright future with the team in particular roles," but I'm still open to anything happen, never thinking that certain things are out of the question. I just disagree with some of the ways from which you derive your conclusions is all even if I agree with them for the most part.

[BRInQ]

I was the first Dion Waiters fan on this board. And it was months before we drafted him. Check the posts.

I have been a TT supporter since the beginning...mostly because of his draft class and the fact that I think he will turn out to be a nice piece to replace Andy.

I love Zeller and have been thrilled with him. With a proper strength and conditioning program and some more bulk I think he will be a solid big for us.

As you can see, I have not named any of these three busts or wastes of picks. I even said that Dion has "a realistic shot at being special". Now, if you can watch Tristan's complete lack of fluidity when it comes to offensive moves and still say that he will be a star, you are a poor talent evaluator. If you've ever seen him attempt a jumpshot, it should be apparent to you that he will never have a reliable one. No amount of practice can change the fact that he is naturally incapable of producing the fluidity of a consistent jump shot. So, if you think he can become an elite rebounder and great defender while doing a bit of scoring around the rim, that's fine and I may agree with you. I consider that a role player. Nothing wrong with that.

Zeller has skill, so you can make an argument that he has a shot to be a star. The skill is there, the measurables and elite athleticism isn't...I think he'll be a role player and not a star. To say he has a realistic shot at becoming a star would be homerism. Saying he has an outside shot? That's fair.

So I think I was actually very fair in my assessment of our young players. Kyrie is a stud. Waiters looks like he can develop into a stud. The other two have bright futures with the team in particular roles. There IS a lot of work left to do with the roster. I am not bashing anyone...that's just where we are. I am actually happy with the rebuild so far. If we add a star caliber guy with our pick and another solid role guy with our LA pick this year, I think we're ready to add some vets and start winning some basketball games.

I wasn't really directing the "waste of a pick, etc" at you. They are just statements that have been made by a plethora of posters in regards to the picks.

I agree with you involving Tristians lack of fluidity on offense. Personally, I don't think he should be concerned about shooting jumpers. He should be working on getting points in the paint, floaters, runners, etc...which I think he is capable of.I do think he strongest contributions will be defense and rebounding, and I do think that he can excel in those areas to where he won't just be a role player. Who knows, he could very well be the first big off the bench. I just don't think he's useless like some, not you, make him out to be.

I also agree in regards to Zeller. I see him playing Z's role on this team with more athleticism.

[Wine and Gold]

I was the first Dion Waiters fan on this board. And it was months before we drafted him. Check the posts.

I have been a TT supporter since the beginning...mostly because of his draft class and the fact that I think he will turn out to be a nice piece to replace Andy.

I love Zeller and have been thrilled with him. With a proper strength and conditioning program and some more bulk I think he will be a solid big for us.

As you can see, I have not named any of these three busts or wastes of picks. I even said that Dion has "a realistic shot at being special". Now, if you can watch Tristan's complete lack of fluidity when it comes to offensive moves and still say that he will be a star, you are a poor talent evaluator. If you've ever seen him attempt a jumpshot, it should be apparent to you that he will never have a reliable one. No amount of practice can change the fact that he is naturally incapable of producing the fluidity of a consistent jump shot. So, if you think he can become an elite rebounder and great defender while doing a bit of scoring around the rim, that's fine and I may agree with you. I consider that a role player. Nothing wrong with that.

Zeller has skill, so you can make an argument that he has a shot to be a star. The skill is there, the measurables and elite athleticism isn't...I think he'll be a role player and not a star. To say he has a realistic shot at becoming a star would be homerism. Saying he has an outside shot? That's fair.

So I think I was actually very fair in my assessment of our young players. Kyrie is a stud. Waiters looks like he can develop into a stud. The other two have bright futures with the team in particular roles. There IS a lot of work left to do with the roster. I am not bashing anyone...that's just where we are. I am actually happy with the rebuild so far. If we add a star caliber guy with our pick and another solid role guy with our LA pick this year, I think we're ready to add some vets and start winning some basketball games.

Good post, and you're being truthful ...when I questioned the Waiters draft pick you were behind it. I was wrong, you were right.. Tristan isn't what I call a star level player, he doesn't have the skill set package that that label is reserved for. But, as a role player, which every player is star or no star...everyone performs their role on the team. But, Tristan Thompson's role is an important one that all successful teams require. TT works hard and is attentive to detail on the defensive side of the ball. He's also a very good offensive rebounder. He works hard and will get gradually better, but certain weaknesses are there for the longterm. As I said when we got him, I just don't see him being a guy that develops a reliable jumpshot. He's basically got the touch of a blacksmith, and don't see that aspect of his game ever being something that will ever even reach the Varejao level. But, I think he can be competant offensively by performing within his role. Get the offensive rebound, kick it out or dribble it out and reset... set strong picks and roll to the hoop. He's got good hands, so he can effectively play off our penetrating guards and get easy putbacks. He will develop a better repetoire down low so as to limit the number of times he gets blocked.. I think he can become decent with improvements with his post moves, and refined up fakes etc.. He needs to improve upon his defensive rebounding capabilities as well. I definitely see TT being our longterm fixture atr PF, we need to find his compliment at the center position in the next few years to finish off our interior development as a team. We need to be very strong defensively in our interior, and having Thompson is a great stat to that process.