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Boston Celtics: 4 reasons to be thankful for the Tristan Thompson signing

By Ian Riaf

CLEVELAND, OHIO - FEBRUARY 09: Tristan Thompson #13 of the Cleveland Cavaliers reacts to the LA Clippers bench during the first half at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on February 09, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OHIO - FEBRUARY 09: Tristan Thompson #13 of the Cleveland Cavaliers reacts to the LA Clippers bench during the first half at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on February 09, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /
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Boston Celtics (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Boston Celtics (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

Reason to be thankful for Tristan Thompson No. 3) Blocking & pick-and-roll D

At 6-9, with a solid 7-1 wingspan, Thompson is somewhat of a force when contesting shots.

His size doesn’t make him a Mitchell Robinson at the rim but Thompson was present on a large portion of his contests. He played a lot of drop coverage last year, similar to Milwaukee’s Brook Lopez but without the help from higher quality wing defenders chasing over the top.

After going back and watching all possessions cataloged by InStat last season where Thompson guarded the pick & roll/pop or the isolation (31 minutes worth), it’s safe to say that the film wasn’t the prettiest of sights.

The number of Cedi Osman, Darius Garland, and Kevin Porter Jr. pick & roll mishaps served as a microcosm for the internal dysfunction of the 2019-20 Cleveland Cavaliers. But Thompson had some bright spots, and some numbers to back up these bright spots.

Honing in on Thompson, he excelled defensively, guarding both the pick & roll ball handler and the isolation.

In both settings, he forced many long-range jump shots and limited his matchup to less than a point per possession. At times his opponents had ample space to get off a stepback shot, but again, he did his best to give up the lowest percentage shot. He understood the analytics, as he will have a much better support system around him in Boston.

Because Cleveland had so few capable wing defenders, Thompson spent a good portion (44 percent) of his time guarding higher usage wings — the Pascal Siakam’s, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s, and LeBron James’ of the world.

NBA tracking data suggests a mixed bag of results when guarding these higher usage wings. He struggled with Siakam but limited Antetokounmpo to 41 percent from the field during 12 minutes of play — again a mixed bag guarding wings.

Let’s put it this way: on defense, Thompson may not give the Boston Celtics everything they need, but also provides them with more physicality without fouling and a much-needed presence on the defensive glass.