Tristan Thompson came off the bench in Game 1 against the Toronto Raptors. He played a total of 26 minutes. Each minute, his impact was felt.
After the game, Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue plans to keep Thompson off the bench, saying that he loves his impact with the second unit.
“I like his impact off the bench. Just his physicality can change the game with offensive rebounding. His energy, it’s been good for us. I just like what he’s doing off the bench right now. It’s been huge.”
Overall, Thompson finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds — nine of which were on the offensive glass. He appeared to be his old self — the Thompson who was relentless on the board and chased after every loose ball.
Controversies outside basketball have marred Thompson’s performance in the regular season. Slowly but surely, it seems that the 27-year-old is getting past the hump.
In their Game 7 win in the first round against the Indiana Pacers, Thompson shared that Lue came up to him and said that he’ll start. As posted by Chris Fedor of cleveland.com, Thompson said:
“He just came up to me and said, ‘I’m going to start you tomorrow,'” Thompson said of hearing the news. “I said, ‘Say no more.’ At the end of the day, we’re all professionals. Me and T-Lue, we’ve been through years together. When my number is called, I’ve got to be there for my guys, especially what’s on the line, win or go home. When he told me I’m starting, just locked in and said, ‘It’s time to come up and step up.’
Starting or coming off the bench, Thompson seems to be locked and loaded. Personal issues have stifled him before. Now that it’s winning time, he can’t falter anymore.