Canada's Tristan Thompson plays key role in King James's cavalry
Brampton, Ont., native supplies versatility, rebounding, hustle to LeBron's Cavs
For a third consecutive season, the Cleveland Cavaliers will play for an NBA title against the Golden State Warriors.
While the Cavs' "Big Three" of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love remains front and centre for the defending champions, the contributions of Canadian power forward/centre Tristan Thompson have been vital too.
The Brampton, Ont., native has been a force on the glass, averaging close to 10 rebounds a game over the past three post-seasons while serving as the team's defensive anchor.
Tony McIntyre coached Thompson throughout elementary school and a year of high school when he played on the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) hoops powerhouse CIA Bounce, a program co-founded by McIntyre that's produced other future NBA players like Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett.
Thompson seems to understand his place on the team, and McIntyre believes that professionalism helps make the Canadian a seamless fit with the Cavaliers.
"You look at all the pieces that they put there around LeBron, they're all guys that play a role that will be successful in completing a team," says McIntyre. "Tristan has worked on that spot on the team, to be the guy that does all of that — rebounds, dives for loose balls, scores inside when they need it."
Versatility
Thompson's versatility on both sides of the ball is present once again in this year's playoffs.
Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue says Thompson "treats every shot like a miss."
McIntyre believes this mentality helps Thompson's teammates relax when running their offence.
"In terms of any missed shots or anything around the rim, Tristan is going to get his hands on [the ball] and try to give those guys another chance and reset the shot clock. I think those guys are comfortable with him because he's going to outwork anyone," says McIntyre.
"Tristan is going to go after it a little bit harder than everyone else and his teammates understand that [and] appreciate it."
While Thompson is known more as a rim protector on defence, his ability to keep opposing guards in check flies under the radar.
Lue turned to the 26-year-old in the fourth quarter of Game 3 of Cleveland's second-round playoff series to stop Toronto Raptors star DeMar DeRozan.
Up until the final frame, the shooting guard was unstoppable, scoring 36 points.
But once Thompson was assigned to guard DeRozan, the three-time all-star was limited to a single point the rest of the way, drawing praise from James.
Contagious energy
Thompson's ability to impact the game in a variety of ways is nothing new to McIntyre, who from first-hand experience knows it provides the Cavaliers with a much-needed boost.
"He just brings that energy level that continues to drive that team. When he steps in, he wants to win," says McIntyre.
"Other guys will look at that and try to match that energy level. Anytime you have a teammate that goes in and either changes the pace or energy level in the game, it becomes contagious to everybody else to know that when they check in they gotta raise the bar."
Thompson's relentless work ethic is something that's always been evident to McIntyre.
There were times when the pair would be in the gym until midnight on a school night working on Thompson's game.
McIntyre recalls when Thompson received his first scholarship offer. The future fourth-overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft wasn't satisfied.
"I want over 300. I want every school in the U.S. to offer me a scholarship," McIntyre says Thompson told him. "That was always his goal — to basically overachieve or be able to outwork everyone in anything that he did."
Height doesn't measure heart
Thompson carried that thought process into the NBA, where his motor has helped earn him a starting position.
In elementary school, bigger guys intimidated Thompson. In fact, McIntyre says there were times when he'd make excuses to avoid playing against them.
Nowadays, the Canadian relishes the challenge of being an undersized big man in the league.
"He's one of the most driven kids I've seen even, to the point [where] I'm not going to stay stubborn, but he wanted to be great at what he does," says McIntyre.
Student of the game
Over his six-year NBA career, Thompson has become an excellent rebounder.
It's a skill that requires more than just pure athleticism, and one that the NBA champion puts a lot of work into.
Thompson has become a student of the game, watching videos and studying game footage — doing anything that will improve his craft as a rebounder.
"He's fully embraced what his role is and understands that's what made him an NBA champion, that's what's made the Cavs NBA champions," says McIntyre.