Tristan Thompson expected to play ‘a lot of minutes’ at center

The Cleveland Cavaliers need to find a center to fill out some depth behind starter Anderson Varejao and that has led to trade rumors involving veteran backup centers in the NBA. But while a trade is an easy fix for the Cavaliers at center, the may have a quicker fix already on the roster.

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Recently the idea of starting Tristan Thompson at center has been kicked around and it’s looking like he could see serious minutes there. According to Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon-Journal, Thompson may not have to start at center this year to get a ton of minutes at the position.

"Regardless of whether he starts, Thompson is expected to play a lot of minutes at center this season. He is undersized there, but athletic enough to handle the job. He has played there off and on throughout his first three years in the league."

Having Thompson on the floor with the starters is a brilliant idea, but it’s one that may come at a cost. He’s undersized and isn’t a rim protecting center, meaning he’s only filling a depth need and not a physical one. Still, Thompson is too good to be coming off the bench behind LeBron, meaning getting him minutes on the court is a necessity this season.

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