Jason Thompson Keeps Moving Forward

For the Sacramento Kings' Jason Thompson, power forward is his natural position in the NBA. When Spencer Hawes was injured last season, Thompson adjusted to playing the center position.

This season, head coach Paul Westphal will be using Thompson at small forward, a position he's played sparingly in his career.

Early in the season Thompson has played against the Los Angeles Lakers' Ron Artest and Memphis Grizzlies' Rudy Gay. Small forward is a job he can take, for a while.

"I can play inside and out. I don't think it's anything permanent," Thompson said. "It's more of an opportunity to expand my game. If I start learning that, I can be a guy that can play three positions."

At 6-11 and 250 pounds Thompson will be able to exploit his size on both sides of the floor. "Rebounding, trying to make mismatches for the other team," Thompson said about using his size advantage. "I had some plays ran for me when I'm in the post.

"I can come off screens. If I get the rebound I'll have to look for another guard to bring it up and run the play."

He'll have to rely on his size when guarding quicker players. Gay was able to get around Thompson when they squared off and it's something he'll have to work on.

"I can use my strength," he said about guarding quicker players. "Even though my feet are kind of big I can move them a little bit. It's a challenge but it something I'm willing to understand"

Another challenge that Thompson has to face is the reduction of his minutes. He's averaging 5.3 points and 4.8 rebounds in 15.5 minutes per game. His minutes have been cut in half and he's not happy about it.

"I think that anytime your minutes get cut it's not the best thing," he said. "But it is what it is and I'm not looking for this to be permanent going down the road."

Despite the cut in minutes, he's staying positive and has gotten advice on how to handle it. "You know the consequences when you're not," he said. "I've talked to veteran guys hat have seen situations like this and there's no good way to come out of it if you're negative.

"You know that everything's not the way you want it all the time, but for us to get better, you can't complain, you can't put your head down. You just keep playing and know that (there are) better times in the future."

Thompson doesn't think he's doing anything wrong to keep him from getting more minutes, but he thinks the talent on the Kings is one of the reasons why. The Kings start Samuel Dalembert, a veteran defensive center, and Carl Landry, a scoring power forward while bringing rookie DeMarcus Cousins off the bench.

Darnell Jackson has been awarded playing time for his recent play. Thompson says he can't let his situation effect his emotions.

"We played only six games so far," he said. "If you're down on yourself and you're negative now, then what's going to happen in the middle of the season and end of the season?"

The next player Thompson will have to defend will be a familiar face to him. Fellow 2008 NBA Draft classmate Michael Beasley, who played power forward for two seasons with the Miami Heat, entered his third season with the Minnesota Timberwolves and is finding some success as a small forward.

"He's a guy that can do a lot too," Thompson said about Beasley. "He's left-handed so it kind of makes it harder for you to defend. (He's) a guy kind of in the same situation with a young team and he's expanding his game as well."

Thompson is going through a test right now, but he's got the right attitude to pass. Who knows? He might surprise you with a three-pointer he worked on over the summer.

"I don't just want to come out there and just gunning and slinging," he said about shooting three-pointers. "But I think if the opportunity is there, why not? I have confidence in it and look out for it."