Thorpe: Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson Rookies With Most Upside

When the Cavaliers landed the #1 and #4 picks in the draft, it was imperative they land two impact players with those picks. We know Kyrie Irving has lived up to the top pick and then some, but there’s a fair debate as to whether or not Tristan Thompson was the right pick at #4. ESPN’s David Thorpe, one of the sharpest talent evaluators in the media, think the Cavaliers might have nailed this draft. In his rankings of the rookies with the most upside, he obviously lists Kyrie #1 on the list, but surprising to some might be Tristan ranking #2 on his list. 2. Tristan Thompson Take a look at the top 10 rookie rebounders (based on rebound rate). You’ll see guys who played four years of college, guys who have been pros overseas for years, and guys with huge, wide bodies that make it easy to soak up boards. And then there’s Thompson, who played one year in college and is still much weaker than most of his opponents. But that has not mattered. Thompson really has very little clue how to pl...