Cleveland Cavaliers player watch: Tristan Thompson's milestones to look for in 2016-17
Jun 16, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson (13) celebrates after scoring against the Golden State Warriors during the second quarter in game six of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
With less two weeks left until the start of the 2016-17 NBA season, here are the milestones to look for Cleveland Cavaliers Tristan Thompson this year.
Last year was an incredible season for the Cleveland Cavaliers. They had their ups and downs, from Kyrie Irving and Iman Shumpert‘s injuries to chemistry issues later on in the regular season and a 3-1 deficit in the Finals.
Despite the rocky road, the Cavs came out on top. They united and prevailed, giving the franchise its first ever NBA championship and giving Cleveland its first major sports title in 52 years.
While last season was a dream for Clevelanders and Cavs fans everywhere, it ended more than three months ago. Now we’re ready for more basketball and are counting down the days until the 2016-17 NBA season begins.
Fortunately there’s less only a few weeks until the start of the new season. So while we wait patiently, we’re taking a look at all the milestones that various Cavs players can reach this upcoming year. Up next is the Cavs’ rebounding machine Tristan Thompson. At the young age of 25 and with five seasons under his belt, Thompson has some big milestones to watch for.
Apr 22, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith (5) high fives forward Kevin Love (0) and center Tristan Thompson (13) during the fourth quarter against the Detroit Pistons in game three of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
400th Game
You may have heard that Tristan Thompson has the longest streak of games played in the NBA right now. With 370 consecutive games, Thompson leads all players in the NBA and also holds the Cavs’ franchise record for consecutive games played. Not only can Thompson continue this streak, but he can also hit a milestone in games played.
He played all 82 games in each of the past four seasons and played 60 his rookie year, which comes to a total of 388 games. With just 12 more, Thompson can play in his 400th game. And with an average of 77.6 games per year, he can wind upwell past the 400th mark with 465.6. But we’re hoping Tristan can keep his streak alive and play all 82 games, which would put him at 470 by the end of the year.
Jun 8, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson (13) shoots the ball against Golden State Warriors forward Anderson Varejao (18) in game three of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ronald Martinez/Pool Photo via USA TODAY Sports
13,000th Minute Played
It’s a nice coincidence that number 13 for the Cavs can hit the 13,000th minute milestone this year. For the last four seasons, Thompson has played every game. But he also plays many minutes each game, with an average of 28.5 minutes over his career, accumulating to 11,045 minutes total. If he can play those 28.5 minutes per game over his career average of 77 games, he can log 2,211 minutes. Adding that to his total would put him at 13,256 this year, very comfortably passing the milestone for his 13,000th minute played.
Jun 2, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson (13) goes for a rebound against Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) and center Festus Ezeli (31) during the third quarter in game one of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
1,700th Field Goal
Thompson is known as a beast on the boards and, in particular, his skill in rebounding on the offensive end of the court. His offensive rebounds often lead to field goals, be they tip-ins, put-back layups or dunks. Thompson currently has 1,461 field goals and a career average of 3.8 per game. At that rate, over his career average of 77 games per year, Thompson can get 294 field goals this season. That puts him at 1,755, hitting the 1,700th field goal mark and beyond.
Jun 13, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson (13) shoots a free throw in the third quarter in game five of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
900th Free Throw
Thompson used to shoot his free throws with his left hand, but his percentage was so low that he decided to switch it up. He taught himself how to shoot with his right hand and, in turn, improved his free throw percentages. This was a good move for Thompson, who’s offensive rebounding helps him get to the line for and-ones or two shots.
Over his five seasons in the NBA, Thompson has made 826 free throws and averages 2.1 per game. If he can shoot that number over his career average of 77 games per year, Thompson can shoot 162 free throws. That puts him past the 900th free throw milestone, specifically at 988 total.
Jun 19, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson (13) grabs a rebound against Golden State Warriors forward Andre Iguodala (9) and forward Harrison Barnes (40) in game seven of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: John G. Mabanglo-Pool Photo via USA TODAY Sports
4,000th Total Rebound
Last year, Thompson signed a five-year, $82 million contract that some critics questioned before the 2015-16 season. But Thompson proved his worth, showing the world that he deserved every penny of that contract. One of the biggest reasons he received such an offer in the first place was his ability to hustle and rebound.
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So it should come as no surprise that Thompson can reach a few milestones in the rebound department. The first we’re looking at is for total rebounds. Currently, he has 3,311 total rebounds and an average of 8.5 per game. If he can grab that over his career average of 77 games, he’ll wind up just shy of 4,000. But if he plays all 82 games again, he can reach that mark.
Moreover, Thompson, averaged more rebounds per game last year at 9.0, so if he gets that number over 77 games, he will be able to grab his 4,000th rebound. Either way, Thompson will be climbing the franchise’s top 10 total rebounding list this year, possibly passing Jim Brewer (8th with 3,551), Larry Nance (7th with 3,561) and Jim Chones (6th with 3,790).
Feb 29, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson (13) reaches for a rebound against Indiana Pacers forward Myles Turner (33) in the fourth quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
2,400th Defensive Rebound
Thompson can also hit a milestone in defensive rebounding. Over his five seasons in the NBA, Thompson has accumulated a total of 2,007 defensive rebounds and an average of 5.2 per game. If he can grab that average over 77 games, he can grab more than 400 rebounds this year. That would put Thompson at 2,410 total, just passing the milestone for his 2,400th defensive rebound.
At this rate, Thompson would climb the franchise’s top 10 defensive rebound list, on top of the total rebound list. He could pass Jim Brewer (8th at 2,259) this year and catch up to Larry Nance (7th at 2,494).
Mar 18, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson (13) taps the rebound in against the Orlando Magic during the second half at Amway Center. Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Orlando Magic 109-103. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
1,500th Offensive Rebound
Thompson can hit a milestone on the other end of the court too with offensive rebounds. He currently has 1,304 total offensive rebounds and averages 3.4 per game. If he grabs that number over 77 games, Thompson can get more than 260 rebounds this season. That would give him a total of 1,567, passing the 1,500th mark.
As of right now, Thompson is just 176 offensive rebounds away from passing Anderson Varejao for third place on the franchise’s offensive rebounding list. So it seems as though he can pass Varejao and keep climbing that list.
Jan 15, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson (13) attempts to block a shot by Houston Rockets forward Clint Capela (15) during the game at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
300th Block
While blocking may not be one of his strongest suits, Thompson records one every so often. After his five seasons in the NBA, he has 280 total blocks and averages 0.7 per game. At that rate, over his career average of 77 games per year, Thompson can block 54 shots this year. Adding that to his total would put him at 334 by the end of the season, which means he can pass the milestone for his 300th block.
Jun 16, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson (13) dunks the ball against Golden State Warriors forward Harrison Barnes (40) in game six of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mandatory Credit: Larry W. Smith/Pool Photo via USA TODAY Sports
4,000th Point
Thompson’s total rebounding milestone is not his only milestone of 4,000, he can also score his 4,000 point this year. It’s no coincidence that Thompson, the double-double machine, would reach the same milestones for rebounding and scoring in the same year.
As of right now, he has 3,748 points, which is just 242 points away from 4,000. Moreover, Thompson has a career average of 9.7 points per game. So at that rate over his career average of 77 games played, Thompson can score over 700 points. That would put him at a total of 4,230 points, comfortably past the 4,000th point milestone.