Thompson Needs Playmaking to be Effective

Without LeBron James, the Cavaliers will be a team desperate for more scoring. While Kevin Love will become the focal point of the offense, the Cavs will need a second and third scorer to help ease the pain. Is Tristan Thompson that guy? No.

During his career, he’s never averaged more than 12 points per game. Although, he may see the ball more in the paint, will it equal to a career-year numbers-wise?

With George Hill possibly starting the season as the lead guard, Thomspon will need Hill to penetrate the paint and become the next John Stockton. For his career, Hill has never averaged more than 5.1 assists per game.

Thompson has a great touch around the basket, but the majority of his shots come from offensive rebounds. Before LeBron, Thompson averaged close to 10 shot attempts per game. With LeBron, those numbers decreased to five per game.

While his shooting percentage has hovered around the 57 percent range, the Cavs must be wary that even those may take a dip. With the offense possibly playing through the post now, that means that Thompson may be forced to try to do a little extra.

At this point, Lue will need to find a balance with his rotation and Thompson, despite his offensive rebounding, will hurt the Cavs more than he will help.

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