Tristan Thompson was selected fourth in the NBA draft with the struggling Cleveland Cavaliers' second pick of the night.
Then the Cavs will have to select from Tristan Thompson, Antawn Jamison and JJ Hickson for their power forwards. Boom. Clearly the Cavaliers need offense and the ability to score the ball, but here why I am okay with drafting a player that is not very polished offensively: Thompson's strengths are very difficult to teach.
The person is a beast around the basket and grabbed 7.8 rebounds per game including 3.8 offensive boards per game in his final college season. Thompson utilizes his 7'2" wingspan and explosive athletic ability to change and block shots on the defensive end as well. He averaged 2.4 blocks per game in college.
For a reform team, these are completely incredibly priceless talent and Thompson's upside is substantial. As with any prospect (apart from Kyrie Irving), Tristan Thompson has some particular weaknesses. Number one is obviously his shooting. As soon as the dust cleared, lots of Cavs supporter were left scratching their heads.
I am with every person else who expected Jonas Valanciunas to be the man particular with the #4 pick, but I'm warming up to Tristan Thompson. I urge Cavs fans everywhere to be patient and relax before we jump to conclusions.
Now, I am not going to argue that the Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson combo is better than Derrick Williams and Brandon Knight. The argument is this: Was taking Irving No. 1 overall the right decision for the Cavaliers, or should they have taken Williams in hopes of landing Knight with their fourth pick? It is a question of guts, huevos, cajones, wooden box drums… Based on my GM trust issues, I prefer the safe pick.
Drafting Williams and landing Knight is not an educated decision, it is a lucky one. Let us say Utah does take Knight, now what? Taking Irving first overall was the smart pick. The safe pick. Kyrie Irving was that person and maybe Tristan Thompson will be too.
