Before COVID-19, you might have said Tristan Thompson has seen it all in his time with the Cavaliers.
The Ontario native has been through winning and losing seasons alike. He’s found out what it takes to win an NBA championship, but also what it feels like to finish in the lottery.
But since the pandemic caused the NBA season to come to a halt in March, Thompson has found himself in new territory. He’s enjoyed spending extra time with his family, but he’s ready to get off the couch.
“Do I want basketball to come back? Of course, because I’m running out of things to watch on Netflix and HGTV,” Thompson said. “You know it’s bad when you watch the same cooking show ‘Chopped Junior’ and you watch the same episode three times.”
The 29-year-old forward said he’s been in regular contact with his teammates, and checks in with rookies Darius Garland and Kevin Porter Jr. often. There have been Zoom calls, emails with workouts and yoga sessions, and one-on-one conversations with head coach J.B. Bickerstaff.
Thompson said he’s approaching this time like it’s the offseason as he’s keeping himself ready for whenever things start up again. That’s been his advice for his younger teammates, too.
“For young guys, just watch film, find ways that you can get better, Thompson said. “[If we] come back in June or July, just have that approach where you want to be fresh and ready to go.”
The Cavaliers appeared to be hitting their stride just before the season was suspended. Cleveland won four of five in late February, and knocked off Denver and San Antonio on back-to-back nights in March.
Their big man lineup, which included 6-foot-7-inch forward Larry Nance Jr., had been giving teams trouble.
“Our whole mentality over the last 20 plus games that we had left, we were just trying to be a spoiler team,” Thompson said. “We were actually trending in the right direction.”
As much as he’d like to get back to playing, Thompson said safety is the most important thing right now.
Though the Cavs are one of the NBA teams that have allowed players to return to team facilities under strict safety guidelines, Thompson said he will continue working out at his home in California for now.
Regardless of what happens over the next few months, Thompson believes it will take him some time to feel confident in returning to normal.
“I’m not going to be the first one out and about roaming the streets when they say that … I’m going to take my time doing my takeout and going out with my mask and my gloves,” he said. “So for me to be very social again, it’ll take a while.”
