Tristan Thompson's Gamble Paying Off | US | Translation

Before the start of this season, Tristan Thompson rejected a four-year, $52-million extension from the Cleveland Cavaliers. Even with the league's salary cap scheduled to soar in the summer of 2016 thanks to the league's new lucrative television deal, paying $13 million per year for a power forward who slotted in as nothing more than a role player on a contending team seemed insensible. It made even less sense that Thompson would turn that money down.

But to understand why Thompson might have instead waited to become a restricted free agent this summer, one needs to look no further than the agency representing him. Thompson's represented by Klutch Sports Management, founded by Rich Paul, a close friend of LeBron James (whom Paul also represents). When James returned to Cleveland last summer, he penned an emotional and personal letter about coming home, but in fact had signed just a two-year deal with an option to bolt at the end of the first season. The deal was structured in this way to allow for LeBron to maximize his earnings as the salary cap rises, but also gives him leverage each summer to keep the Cavaliers honest and make sure they're spending the money to re-sign and acquire the players necessary to contend.

We've already seen this in action during the season, when the Cavaliers gave Anderson Varejao a three-year, $30-million extension, rewarding him for past performance, and well, because he's one of LeBron's guys. If a 32-year-old center with a history of injuries can garner $10 million a year, then the 24-year-old Thompson, who is aligned from a business standpoint with LeBron, might have in fact been wise to turn down the Cavs' offer, even if the money he was set to earn would be without merit.

Thompson—who was born in Pickering, Ontario and played at Texas for one season—was drafted fourth overall in 2011 by the Cavs. Cleveland took Kyrie Irving in the same draft with the No. 1 overall pick as part of its rebuilding plan following LeBron's departure for Miami the summer before. While Irving has blossomed into one of the best point guards in the league, Thompson settled in as a role player, with his ability to crash the boards and finish around the basket. Thompson, a below average free throw shooter who lacks a mid-range game to stretch the defense, started all 82 games last season, averaging 11.7 points and 9.2 rebounds. The Cavs were a team going nowhere, but of course it all changed last summer with LeBron's return and the acquisition of Kevin Love, who sent fellow Canadians Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett to Minnesota.

Thompson took on a bench role this season, first playing behind Varejao and Love and then Timofey Mozgov when he was acquired in a midseason trade. For the third straight season, Thompson appeared in all 82 games, but started a career-low 15 contests. Thompson's averages of 8.5 points and 26.8 minutes per game were the lowest since his rookie season.

And then, everything changed in the playoffs. After a season-ending injury to Love in the series clincher against the Boston Celtics in the first round, the Cavs were forced to readjust on the fly. In Love's absence, Cleveland started to lean heavily on a front court of Mozgov and Thompson, eschewing the ability to stretch the floor at the four and five position for a more old-school style, or two big men playing together to provide rim protection and crashing the boards to create second opportunities on the offensive end.

Thompson has taken advantage of the extended opportunity to finally carve out a niche for himself in his fourth season in the league. He's seen his playoff minutes soar to 34.3 per game, and is shooting 59.3 percent from the field while grabbing 9.9 rebounds. He's also among the leaders in contested rebounds, according to NBA.com. Watch any Cavs game and you're sure to find Thompson battling underneath the basket, often soaring over multiple defenders for a rebound, providing his team with extra possessions while wearing down the opponent with his relentless energy. On a Cleveland team that's down to LeBron and a series of jump shooters, Thompson's contributions have been key. You could make the argument he's been the team's second most important player since Love's injury.

While the Cavs haven't played against elite offenses in these playoffs (I mean, Kent Bazemore and Shelvin Mack were on the podium for the Atlanta Hawks after Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals, if you want to assess the level of competition at the moment), but credit their defense for being stingy in these playoffs. They've done enough to advance to the Finals after sweeping away the Hawks on Tuesday. The Mozgov-Thompson combination have held opponents to 92.1 points per 100 possessions in the playoffs in their 172 minutes together, a number that would have placed the Cavs first in defensive efficiency this season (for comparison, the Golden State Warriors, who were first on defense, allowed 98.2 points per 100 possessions).

More importantly, Thompson has proven himself to be a capable running mate with LeBron, and whatever amount of money he ends up receiving this summer, he will have justifiably earned with an impressive playoff run. It bodes well for the Cavs' future, but also for the Canadian national basketball team, which will be counting on Thompson—whom some have called the leader of this golden age of basketball players north of the border—to guide it to success in international competition. He will never be the flashiest player on the floor or the most complete offensive forward in the league. But Thompson is outcompeting everyone in the playoffs and, in doing so, has finally carved out an identity for himself in the NBA.