Tristan Thompson to Boston: 2 years, $19M, player option to re-up with Khloé Kardashian

djbayko

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One of the things that I think is hard to value at times is mental toughness, the toughness that brings swagger. Lowry spoke of it the other night (after the loss to the Celtics), and he lumped swagger with a physicality or perhaps the word I am looking for is edge. I don't believe that Jaylen or Jason (or Walker or Hayward for that matter) currently possess that edge that the playoffs require. With the Js perhaps it is youth, perhaps it is just a function of who they are as people, who knows. I believe the team was missing that aspect when they got pushed out of the playoff bubble, lacking a bit of an ability to push back to some of the physicality they were encountering. They missed some of that Baynes sandpaper, that Morris edge. It rubs off on teammates, it is contagious at times. They have it in Marcus, but I think it helps to have it in a big. Someone who can and will set a hard screen after a teammate was fouled a bit too hard. Someone who can make the defender hesitate going over a screen.

I believe that the TT brings some of this to the table, and that part of what he brings is as valuable as the Xs and Os. Team building is sometimes more than just physical skills, and having the right complementary players is a complicated. Sometimes it's the player with the physical ability to hit the open 3, sometimes it finding the player like Teague who will defer to the young guns, sometimes it is less about a physical trait and more about the mentality they bring. Some young teams need a veteran to teach them a work ethic - how professionals carry themselves (I don't think any of the current C's need that). This Celtics team (those that remain after the bubble team) need that sandpaper, that pushback when the refs are allowing teams like the Raptors or the Heat to get a bit physical (and they do and they were).

I'm NOT predicting that TT is a good fit, or that he will be successful at his role, only pointing out that I believe that Ainge was looking for more than what we see in the box score, or metrics that talented people like Bowiac develop. "A team that is more than the sum of it's parts" kind of thing.
I agree. I think that Granite has the potential to be that kind of player some day, but he's obviously young and we're seeking championships now.
 

benhogan

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Score one for the analytics. TT stinks on D. Maybe if he lost 10 lbs it would be more mobile and marginally better, but overall he is pretty disappointing.

He can rebound and set screens, that's about it. He's OK for 20 minutes a night but I'd prefer the big man rotation to be focused on Theis and Timelord when possible.
I'm pretty happy with the BIG rotation if Brad uses one at a time

TT is one of 3 fungible, reasonable BIGs, that are match-up based. TT plays ~13mpg. Agree with @RetractableRoof, TT (& Teague) come with a veteran edge and was something lacking in the playoffs last season. He can sop up minutes using Embiid as his punching bag as far as I'm concerned. He should never, ever be the man assigned to guard Kevin Durant again

Theis, was very productive playing short minutes as the starting 5 last season. He can snake screen his way to ~15mpg

TimeLord is leaping. We saw spurts of it in the bubble. As he fills out/matures we're seeing him not get pushed around and improve on both sides of the court. I don't care who starts if it's an ego thing with TT but TL is pretty much your closing BIG moving forward. ~20mpg

Obviously, minutes are regular-season estimates and the math changes in the playoffs.

I guess Grant could be your ultra-small BIG. Maybe can stay with and get under Bam in short minutes? but hoping TL can be that also. Like Grant as a stronger wing
 
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NomarsFool

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With so many bigs looking for minutes, I don't think we'll see a lot of GW as the small ball 5 this year. He needs to learn to play the 4 if he is going to be a regular rotation player, I think. I certainly like TL's progression this season (and last), but I think I might prefer TT in closing out games - I'm not sure. DT has the most experience, but he seems like such a guaranteed foul - I don't know if I want that in a close game. TT has significantly offensive limitations, but with Kemba/Tatum/Brown out there - I don't think we need that.
 

radsoxfan

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I'm pretty happy with the BIG rotation if Brad uses one at a time

TT is one of 3 fungible, reasonable BIGs, that are match-up based. TT plays ~13mpg. Agree with @RetractableRoof, TT (& Teague) come with a veteran edge and was something lacking in the playoffs last season. He can sop up minutes using Embiid as his punching bag as far as I'm concerned. He should never, ever be the man assigned to guard Kevin Durant again
TT in that minutes range sounds great to me, but he averaged 30 last year and 24 so far this year.

Would be pretty surprised if his playing time craters like that.
 

leetinsley38

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TT in that minutes range sounds great to me, but he averaged 30 last year and 24 so far this year.

Would be pretty surprised if his playing time craters like that.
Yeah this is why we are seeing so much of the two big lineups with TT and Theis. They are obviously horrible but Brad is in a tough spot if all 3 guys are healthy that all deserve time? Might even be better once Kemba is back to do some load management and rotate full nights off.
 

FanRoy

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I certainly like TL's progression this season (and last), but I think I might prefer TT in closing out games - I'm not sure. DT has the most experience, but he seems like such a guaranteed foul - I don't know if I want that in a close game. TT has significantly offensive limitations, but with Kemba/Tatum/Brown out there - I don't think we need that.
I agree with the gist of your post, but on what planet is Daniel Theis more experienced than Tristan Thompson? Quick look shows Tristan has something like 4 times as many starts in the playoffs (in MUCH higher leverage games/situations) and maybe double the amount of games appeared in. Oh, and he played alongside the greatest player (and perhaps greatest professional) of his generation. He must have learned a thing or two from that experience that places him ahead of Theis when the games actually matter. As you note, if an opposing coach has even a modicum of intelligence, at the end of the game he's telling any decent free throw shooter to just dribble in Theis' direction. That play is an automatic foul since Theis can't keep his hands to himself. And in my opinion, offensive limitations are offensive limitations, if we're relying on either Theis or Thompson for literally anything at the end of the game on the offensive end, then that game has already been lost. Just set a tough screen and watch as Jayson/Kemba/Jaylen/Smart do their thing. That's all we should be looking for from either Thompson or Theis.

Most of you guys are much more intelligent fans than I and follow the game more than I do, but it seems like you're missing the forest for the trees here. This entire post wasn't directed at you, NomarsFool, I just was taken aback when I read that Theis is our "most experienced" big. Despite any warts he has, Thompson is tough, has been involved in some of the sport's biggest moments from the past half decade, and he has real qualities that can help close out a game - which is what prevented a trip to the Finals last year.

And Time Lord over Thompson/Theis as a closer from the post above has to be a joke. He could evolve into that, maybe? But as of right now there is absolutely no way that is a serious consideration for when games actually matter.
 

benhogan

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TT in that minutes range sounds great to me, but he averaged 30 last year and 24 so far this year.

Would be pretty surprised if his playing time craters like that.
Cleveland was terrible last year, 30mpg means nothing in regards to the 2021 Celtics IMO

If they go to one BIG then he and Theis will see a natural decline in minutes.

and if TimeLord continues his efficient play they will have no choice but to play Rob more.

Theis knows how to efficiently operate in the Celtics 1-BIG system so I believe they will even out the minutes. TT will get his minutes against bulkier BIGs.

TT/Klutch may grumble to Ainge/Brad (as Enis did quietly last season) but creating the best team by seasons end trumps all.
 
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benhogan

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And Time Lord over Thompson/Theis as a closer from the post above has to be a joke. He could evolve into that, maybe? But as of right now there is absolutely no way that is a serious consideration for when games actually matter.
It's early in the season, these games don't matter a lot. Its about creating the best team/rotations by the playoffs. I think TL could evolve into that as the season moves along
 

128

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I agree with the gist of your post, but on what planet is Daniel Theis more experienced than Tristan Thompson? Quick look shows Tristan has something like 4 times as many starts in the playoffs (in MUCH higher leverage games/situations) and maybe double the amount of games appeared in. Oh, and he played alongside the greatest player (and perhaps greatest professional) of his generation. He must have learned a thing or two from that experience that places him ahead of Theis when the games actually matter. As you note, if an opposing coach has even a modicum of intelligence, at the end of the game he's telling any decent free throw shooter to just dribble in Theis' direction. That play is an automatic foul since Theis can't keep his hands to himself. And in my opinion, offensive limitations are offensive limitations, if we're relying on either Theis or Thompson for literally anything at the end of the game on the offensive end, then that game has already been lost. Just set a tough screen and watch as Jayson/Kemba/Jaylen/Smart do their thing. That's all we should be looking for from either Thompson or Theis.

Most of you guys are much more intelligent fans than I and follow the game more than I do, but it seems like you're missing the forest for the trees here. This entire post wasn't directed at you, NomarsFool, I just was taken aback when I read that Theis is our "most experienced" big. Despite any warts he has, Thompson is tough, has been involved in some of the sport's biggest moments from the past half decade, and he has real qualities that can help close out a game - which is what prevented a trip to the Finals last year.

And Time Lord over Thompson/Theis as a closer from the post above has to be a joke. He could evolve into that, maybe? But as of right now there is absolutely no way that is a serious consideration for when games actually matter.
The biggest downside to Tristan in late-game situations is his free-throw shooting.
 

bakahump

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Is Theis actually TRULY that bad though? I watch the replays and he does nothing that TT, TL and dozens of other bigs do on a nightly basis.

I mean the reality is they call the fouls so..... But...

What kills him is his "Reputation". Like @FanRoy says above, everyone says/thinks "He cant keep his hands to himself". Are there times he is like that? Sure. Just like Granite is like that and again dozens of other NBA players are like that. But because he gets fouls called on him....he now gets fouls called on him. If that makes sense. There is no way Theis should have more fouls then anyone else in the east in the minutes he plays. If i wasnt lazy I would do the math and figure out that Theis was called for 20% or some insane amount of CELTIC Fouls.

Its sad because he doesnt seem to be a dick to the officials. He asks and moves on. Its not like he is Lowry.

I have asked before, how does that change? Brad bitching? DT getting a Tech or 2 pleading his case? Or do both of those make it worse? How about a Interview where JB or JT or another "respected" voice (I would say Kemba but he cant say much currently......maybe Pierce on a national broadcast?) basically goes Semi Tommy on the refs and says its a tragedy and travesty how the game is called against him.
 

NomarsFool

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I agree with the gist of your post, but on what planet is Daniel Theis more experienced than Tristan Thompson? Quick look shows Tristan has something like 4 times as many starts in the playoffs (in MUCH higher leverage games/situations) and maybe double the amount of games appeared in. Oh, and he played alongside the greatest player (and perhaps greatest professional) of his generation. He must have learned a thing or two from that experience that places him ahead of Theis when the games actually matter. As you note, if an opposing coach has even a modicum of intelligence, at the end of the game he's telling any decent free throw shooter to just dribble in Theis' direction. That play is an automatic foul since Theis can't keep his hands to himself. And in my opinion, offensive limitations are offensive limitations, if we're relying on either Theis or Thompson for literally anything at the end of the game on the offensive end, then that game has already been lost. Just set a tough screen and watch as Jayson/Kemba/Jaylen/Smart do their thing. That's all we should be looking for from either Thompson or Theis.

Most of you guys are much more intelligent fans than I and follow the game more than I do, but it seems like you're missing the forest for the trees here. This entire post wasn't directed at you, NomarsFool, I just was taken aback when I read that Theis is our "most experienced" big. Despite any warts he has, Thompson is tough, has been involved in some of the sport's biggest moments from the past half decade, and he has real qualities that can help close out a game - which is what prevented a trip to the Finals last year.
No, I completely agree. Shouldn't post before I've had coffee I guess, but what I meant to say was that TT has the most experience - particularly playoff experience. I completely agree with you. I think DT is the better defensive player, and has more offensive skills - but as I mentioned, the guaranteed foul bit and let's be honest, closing out games DT is pretty much always going to have 4-5 fouls. I never like the idea of people trying to play defense when they are in foul trouble. It simply has to impact their approach to playing defense.
 

radsoxfan

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TT/Klutch may grumble to Ainge/Brad (as Enis did quietly last season) but creating the best team by seasons end trumps all.
On a 1 year deal they definitely grumble at 13 min/game. I'd prefer it as well unless TL/Thies are injured.
 

NomarsFool

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The biggest downside to Tristan in late-game situations is his free-throw shooting.
True, but he's not going to touch the ball in any situation where the other team is looking to foul. The only problem I would see is on a rebound they might hack at him, but other than that - he's setting picks and playing defense.
 

HomeRunBaker

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About half of Tatum’s highlight reel yesterday was TT setting crunching screens to free him for 3s and advantage drives to the rim. He looks really good in that role, with a spaced floor.
This is the role he thrived in with LeBron and Kyrie in Cleveland. His role is a specific one.....he’s the type of guy who is effective if he has the right (elite) teammates and god awful if he was in say Detroit. You could probably say the same about Theis as well. They are limited skilled role players. It is Brads job to figure out their best usage just as Doc did with Baby, Powe, PJ based on game situation, opponent, etc.....but all that stuff only matters in the playoffs for this team. Everything leading up to it is preparation when you are a contender.
 
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benhogan

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Egh, for some reason I thought there was an option year.

Expiring contract next year I guess....
TT will be fine in the Brad Machine as long as he's the only 5 on the floor.

I suspect Theis will be a hair better since he's been here for 3yrs (familiarity)

TL is developing into an interesting weapon, his athleticism and length dovetails nicely with the Jays skills
 

pantsparty

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Yeah this is why we are seeing so much of the two big lineups with TT and Theis. They are obviously horrible but Brad is in a tough spot if all 3 guys are healthy that all deserve time? Might even be better once Kemba is back to do some load management and rotate full nights off.
Two bigs sucks against Toronto, but does it make more sense against Philly or Milwaukee? Especially in this condensed season with very little practice time they just need to eat some bad minutes to get familiar with different lineups that might be useful in the playoffs.
 

NomarsFool

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The 2 BIGs played well in the first quarter against Miami, but they coughed up the lead in the 2nd half. I think we just end up with Theis trying to guard people he shouldn't be guarding (Jimmy Butler) as well as Theis trying to do things he's not good at (catch and shoot 3s).
 

benhogan

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The 2 BIGs played well in the first quarter against Miami, but they coughed up the lead in the 2nd half. I think we just end up with Theis trying to guard people he shouldn't be guarding (Jimmy Butler) as well as Theis trying to do things he's not good at (catch and shoot 3s).
2BIGs worked ok to start but I think they hit an unsustainable % of 3s/jumpers to start
 

benhogan

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In normal years, Dec 15th (or 3mths after signing) is the earliest day you can deal recently signed players.

Anyone know the date this year? asking for a friend
 

Cellar-Door

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They aren't dumping Thompson. He has a clear role this year and next, and if he's traded it will be as salary in a deal
 

NomarsFool

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They aren't dumping Thompson. He has a clear role this year and next, and if he's traded it will be as salary in a deal
We'll see. It's still early, but he looks like a negative asset at this point to me. Hopefully in a few more dozen games he'll get into better shape.
 

Cellar-Door

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We'll see. It's still early, but he looks like a negative asset at this point to me. Hopefully in a few more dozen games he'll get into better shape.
It doesn't matter, even if he starts losing playing time they aren't going to pay to trade him away, there is zero reason to do so. They don't need to get under the tax, they don't need the roster spot (and have smaller deals to move anyway). They'll keep him into the offseason, at which point he's a $9M expiring in the worst case. And they might well keep him next year too, given Theis is in his last year.
 

benhogan

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It doesn't matter, even if he starts losing playing time they aren't going to pay to trade him away, there is zero reason to do so. They don't need to get under the tax, they don't need the roster spot (and have smaller deals to move anyway). They'll keep him into the offseason, at which point he's a $9M expiring in the worst case. And they might well keep him next year too, given Theis is in his last year.
agreed, the $$$ won't be the issue with TT. His minutes and role will be determined by his play. AND to some extent TimeLords play, which has been exceptional. BUT he really has to pick it up defensively if he wants to continue to play 23mpg

As far as Feb.6, I'm more interested in Danny prying away Christian Wood (not happening) or Davis Bertans (also probably not happening) and potentially using TT's salary as filler.
 

bigq

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To my eyes, he has a bit of almost-Rigor Artis Gilmore vibe.
Ha! The A-Train wound down a Hall of Fame career with a forgettable last stop with the Celtics in 87-88 at age 38. It would be sad indeed if TT is as washed up at age 29.
 

benhogan

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Sure. I think Thompson is likewise too immobile to be a credible defender mostly. He's a good rebounder, and this gives the illusion of being useful defensively, but he's just too slow and plodding to be useful against most bigs. Stop me if this seems familiar - as I do think we've seen this archetype before the Celtics. He's not Kanter-level immobile, which is nice, but he's also not built for the modern NBA either. And apart from rebounding, he doesn't do much of use on the defensive end. Which is why his teams have mostly been better defensively with him on the bench.

And then on the offensive end, he's obviously not contributing much. The best thing I can say there is it looks like he's improved his passing pretty substantially, which should help ameliorate the spacing issues he causes.

This is obviously informed by various analytics, and you don't need me to recite them, but he grades somewhere close to replacement-level in most metrics, including my own. But the crux is really that I don't think he's a good or even average defender. If he was at least a one-way guy, that would have value, but I think he's more in the Enes Kanter/David Lee mold of being sneaky useless on both sides of the floor.
nailed it.

I can't even highlight anything because ALL of it, every freaking bit of its correct.

If anything you were kind. Someone posted on the game thread tonight that TT rates as the 4th worst NBA player according to RAPTOR. Mind you he is playing most of his minutes with Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, so NO ONE is paying any attention to Tristan. He should get 10 easy pts on putback dunks
 
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benhogan

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Of course it matters.

This is the thinking that has so many terrible contracts in the NBA.

Well, we can't replace Marcus Morris if he leaves, so we better give him 4/64
Well, we can't get a star to take our money, so we better give Hayward 4/120
Well, we need a backup center and have the full MLE available, we might as well give it to Tristan Thompson.

Just because you have the full MLE, doesn't mean you have to give the full MLE for two years for a guy who probably isn't worth it.

And yes, before there are ten replies saying awww you can use the bigger salary for matching up in trades, I know how the cap works. Don't need the lesson. You don't need to overpay players for theoretical future trades.
Along with @bowiac commentary on Tristan Thompson, this needs to be laminated and pinned to the Port Cellar
 

BigSoxFan

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I liked this signing. I supported this signing. I defended this signing.

I now f*cking hate this signing. Thompson is absolute trash. He has Perk stone hands. He doesn’t help against Embiid or most other bigs. His defensive rotations are slow. He prevents Time Lord, a better player, from getting on the court. He can rebound a little bit and that’s about it.

#freetimelord
 

NomarsFool

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He’s played very poorly. The thing with Embiid is that he can’t be stopped. The only solution is to have good enough players that can drive on him and get him into foul trouble. That and try and run up the score as much as possible when he’s on the bench.

Thompson actually scored a couple of buckets last night, for a change. But he’s still got to be shooting around 50% and given where he shoots from, that’s pretty awful. When you factor in all his turnovers on botched passes he’s a really terrible offensive player.
 

128

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I liked this signing. I supported this signing. I defended this signing.

I now f*cking hate this signing. Thompson is absolute trash. He has Perk stone hands. He doesn’t help against Embiid or most other bigs. His defensive rotations are slow. He prevents Time Lord, a better player, from getting on the court. He can rebound a little bit and that’s about it.

#freetimelord
I'm down on Tristan, too, and want to see Time Lord get more minutes. But Thompson's teammates, particularly Smart, are exacerbating the problem by trying to slip passes through the slightest of openings to him in the low post. It's become apparent that Tristan struggles with those passes, and the other C's need to adjust accordingly.
 

Cesar Crespo

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TT shoots way too many 3-10 ft jump shots too. He's not particularly good at it, either.

He is an elite rebounder but Time Lord isn't a slouch in that department. I think we all want to see more TL because he's the young, exciting guy and TT and Theis are what they are.
 

benhogan

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I think we all want to see more TL because he's the young, exciting guy and TT and Theis are what they are.
We want to see TL because he's extremely efficient, I could give a damn about his age or his exciting play

Theis is better than TT, not sure if you were making an equivalency here.

What exactly is TT? other than what Bowiac described above before the season.
He's a 3rd string Center on this team. Anyone expecting any kind of improvement from TT is wishcasting (and probably what you are saying with "are what they are").

Brad needs to hand a lot of his minutes to TL/DT and knock off the Double BIG (DT/TT) experiment.
 

Cesar Crespo

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We want to see TL because he's extremely efficient, I could give a damn about his age or his exciting play

Theis is better than TT, not sure if you were making an equivalency here.

What exactly is TT? other than what Bowiac described above before the season.
He's a 3rd string Center on this team. Anyone expecting any kind of improvement from TT is wishcasting (and probably what you are saying with "are what they are").

Brad needs to hand a lot of his minutes to TL/DT and knock off the Double BIG (DT/TT) experiment.
Well, if TL sucked, no one would want to see him but his youth (aka ability to still improve) is a big reason I want him playing more. It remains to be seen if he can play with the same intensity for 25-30 a night as he does 16.2.

And yeah, I prefer Theis over TT but it's largely because of shot selection. I wouldn't lose sleep if both lost minutes in favor of Time Lord and Semi/Grant in occasional spots.

Edit: What is TT? The team's best rebounder. That's all I got.
 

Van Everyman

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Thompson was not very good last night but I’m holding out a bit of hope that he’s still playing his way back into shape.
 

NomarsFool

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I’d say last night was one of his better games, which just goes to show you. Unfortunately, I don’t think he should be playing more than 15 minutes a game, which I think will be a locker room problem
 

HomeRunBaker

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Thompson was not very good last night but I’m holding out a bit of hope that he’s still playing his way back into shape.
Not to pile on but TT has been flat out awful. He’s one of those guys who theoretically should fit in well with the J’s but for whatever reason the chemistry between him and his teammates isn’t there like it was from Day One with say, Wood and Harden.
 

Cellar-Door

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THompson is off to a terrible start. Combined with TL taking a step forward, yes their minutes should flip.

On the other hand, Thompson if he returns to his normal form, should have a role, because other than TL he's the only actually good rebounder we have. Theis has massive flaws in certain matchups, and Thompson if he can get back to his 2019-20 form is best in those.
 

benhogan

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Edit: What is TT? The team's best rebounder. That's all I got.
yea, Kanter was a good rebounder and a heckuva lot more efficient. And we can pull out all the Kanter tropes about his crap defense to our heart's content but the fact remains he never got this abused by Embiid last season.

Good point on the youth angle with TL. Give him minutes, build up his equity for a potential larger deal down the road (Danny will need to use that 28.5MM by this Summer)
 

joe dokes

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I’d say last night was one of his better games, which just goes to show you. Unfortunately, I don’t think he should be playing more than 15 minutes a game, which I think will be a locker room problem
Why would it be a locker room problem? Players know who deserves time. If Stevens gave PT to someone who wasn't practicing hard or just because they got a big contact, *that* would be a locker room problem. IIRC, Udonis Haslam sat at the end of the Miami bench for much of his career and nobody complained. If TT complained, he'd get shipped to Siberia for a jar of borscht. if he's the great teammate everyone says he is, then he will contnue to be that, regardless of PT.
The point above about his teammates knowing what TT can and cant do really resonates. I think they'll stop trying to thread tight passes to him inside before too long. He has to figure out how to do what Theis does so well----get out of the way and screen off a defender trying to get in the ballhandler's way.
 

shoelace

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yea, Kanter was a good rebounder and a heckuva lot more efficient. And we can pull out all the Kanter tropes about his crap defense to our heart's content but the fact remains he never got this abused by Embiid last season.
Embiid is playing much better than he did last season, to be fair to Thompson, and Theis gave up a fair number of those points as well. Embiid was a 33% 3PT shooter and a 40% midrange shooter last year, he's now shooting 40% from 3 and over 50% from 10-16 feet. I didn't see the second game of the Philly miniseries, but my recollection was that he shot multiple fadeaway midrangers over Thompson, who didn't really defend them poorly. Embiid just shot the ball incredibly well, as he has all year.

That said, Thompson hasn't played well consistently on either end. He's not a good offensive player and it seems like he mostly is and should be an option of last resort. His performance doesn't look like a physical issue. To be fair, until last night, it doesn't feel like many Celtics have been defending to the level that have in the past. Thompson should be coming off the bench unless the other team dictates a two big lineup. Hopefully that adjustment is made sooner than later.
 

benhogan

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Embiid is playing much better than he did last season, to be fair to Thompson, and Theis gave up a fair number of those points as well. Embiid was a 33% 3PT shooter and a 40% midrange shooter last year, he's now shooting 40% from 3 and over 50% from 10-16 feet. I didn't see the second game of the Philly miniseries, but my recollection was that he shot multiple fadeaway midrangers over Thompson, who didn't really defend them poorly. Embiid just shot the ball incredibly well, as he has all year.

That said, Thompson hasn't played well consistently on either end. He's not a good offensive player and it seems like he mostly is and should be an option of last resort. His performance doesn't look like a physical issue. To be fair, until last night, it doesn't feel like many Celtics have been defending to the level that have in the past. Thompson should be coming off the bench unless the other team dictates a two big lineup. Hopefully that adjustment is made sooner than later.
All you need to do, in regards to TT, is go back to Bowiac's preseason comment on him.

Seems like Danny wanted something else (Millsap) but settled on Thompson. All TT really needs to do on offense is (a) set screens/picks for Brown, Tatum, Kemba. (b) move the ball quickly to an open man on the perimeter and not turn it over (c) get the hell out of the way (not clog the lane). So far he's had trouble with all three of those.

BUT his real value has to be on the defensive end. That's fine, you let Embiid go Maravich from the outside and live with that. BUT when you can't hold the block once without fouling we've got a pretty useless player in TT. Brad can play TL and Theis, but we'll need someone that can hold the block against the classic BIGs for 10-15mpg. They don't cost much so nothing to get to worked up about. Maybe TT can be that going forward, and Brad will cut back his minutes in favor of DT/TL. This leads me back to Kanter, who efficiently played that role for half the price last season.
 

NomarsFool

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Dec 21, 2001
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Their analysis isn't written on stone tablets, certainly, but the Athletic was expecting TT to be a vet minimum guy. His contribution would look a lot different if they hadn't used the full mid-level exception on him (as well as the 2nd year).

The season is still early, and I imagine he'll play better (he was better against Cleveland - of course, they are not a good team). My biggest concern is that there will be a conscious or unconscious bias to play him more than he deserves because of his veteran status and contract. We can say all we want about CBS' intelligence and experience, but those factors are real and few coaches are really able to make the tough call and sit veteran players like that.
 

Jimbodandy

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Jan 31, 2006
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Their analysis isn't written on stone tablets, certainly, but the Athletic was expecting TT to be a vet minimum guy. His contribution would look a lot different if they hadn't used the full mid-level exception on him (as well as the 2nd year).

The season is still early, and I imagine he'll play better (he was better against Cleveland - of course, they are not a good team). My biggest concern is that there will be a conscious or unconscious bias to play him more than he deserves because of his veteran status and contract. We can say all we want about CBS' intelligence and experience, but those factors are real and few coaches are really able to make the tough call and sit veteran players like that.
I legit don't know what Brad you have been watching if you think that he's doing to play TT because he's a vet on an MLE.