The 4-7 Cavs have been frisky. Their starting five -- Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, Cedi Osman, Kevin Love and Thompson -- has blitzed opponents by 11 points per 100 possessions.
The young guards can get a little dribbly -- Garland loves him some floaters -- but the offense looks nice when the ball moves. Osman and Sexton are shooting well from deep. (Sexton is a scorching 13-of-24 on catch-and-shoot 3s.) Love is a stabilizer.
Full disclosure: The amount of Thompson happening on offense was slated for a "dislike" here after the first week of the season. Thompson dribbling, passing and shooting this often cannot be a healthy indicator. Right? But those floaters and shot-put hooks just keep going in! He's shooting a preposterous 56% from floater range! Thompson has always been an underrated passer, and one of the league's nastiest offensive rebounders.
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Thompson is averaging 15 points and 10.5 rebounds after a silent performance in a loss to Miami on Thursday. He has canned three 3s after draining precisely zero before this season. He's contesting a lot of shots around the basket, and guarding whomever John Beilein asks. That might mean chasing quicker power forwards so Love can jostle with centers. He's making (and I can't believe I'm saying this) a legitimate All-Star case, though he will probably fall short.
Thompson and Andre Drummond are competing for Greatest Contract Year of All Time.
The 4-7 Cavs have been frisky. Their starting five -- Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, Cedi Osman, Kevin Love and Thompson -- has blitzed opponents by 11 points per 100 possessions.
The young guards can get a little dribbly -- Garland loves him some floaters -- but the offense looks nice when the ball moves. Osman and Sexton are shooting well from deep. (Sexton is a scorching 13-of-24 on catch-and-shoot 3s.) Love is a stabilizer.
Full disclosure: The amount of Thompson happening on offense was slated for a "dislike" here after the first week of the season. Thompson dribbling, passing and shooting this often cannot be a healthy indicator. Right? But those floaters and shot-put hooks just keep going in! He's shooting a preposterous 56% from floater range! Thompson has always been an underrated passer, and one of the league's nastiest offensive rebounders.
ESPN Daily podcast

Monday through Friday, host Mina Kimes brings you an inside look at the most interesting stories at ESPN, as told by the top reporters and insiders on the planet. Listen
Thompson is averaging 15 points and 10.5 rebounds after a silent performance in a loss to Miami on Thursday. He has canned three 3s after draining precisely zero before this season. He's contesting a lot of shots around the basket, and guarding whomever John Beilein asks. That might mean chasing quicker power forwards so Love can jostle with centers. He's making (and I can't believe I'm saying this) a legitimate All-Star case, though he will probably fall short.
Thompson and Andre Drummond are competing for Greatest Contract Year of All Time.
