Tristan Thompson has looked so invisible through the first two games of the NBA Finals that you would think he was a Clay Aiken song, but Tyronn Lue still believes in him.
Addressing the media on Tuesday, the Cleveland Cavaliers head coach defended his struggling big man heading into Game 3.
“It’s not anything Tristan isn’t doing,” said Lue. “I just think against this team, you have to score the basketball. They’re doing a good job of helping off of him and roaming and getting back. Tristan hasn’t played bad. It’s just he hasn’t gotten a lot of minutes.
“I think to beat this team, you have to score the basketball,” he continued. “So we’ve thrown some offensive units on the floor and we’ve been productive with that. So [it’s] not anything Tristan hasn’t done.”
Thompson has managed a total of just eight points and eight rebounds through those first two games (both blowout losses for the Cavs). He’s one of their most important role players, but he’s struggling to maintain his usual activity on the glass against Zaza Pachulia and can’t space the floor at all with his limited range and with how well the Warriors defend the roll man.
That has forced Lue to limit Thompson’s minutes to 21.5 per game so far (as he alluded to), preventing the former No. 4 overall pick from getting into a true rhythm. Keeping his big men involved has been a constant theme of struggle for Lue this postseason, but it’s hard to say if giving Thompson a longer leash is the answer here.
