Longtime power forward/center Tristan Thompson joined your Los Angeles Lakers on the very last day of the 2022-23 NBA regular season, to serve as a veteran locker room presence and break-glass-in-case-of-emergency backup big option.
So it doubtlessly surprised everybody when Thompson was inserted into rookie head coach Darvin Ham's playoff rotation during LA's must-win Game 4 in its Western Conference Finals series against the Denver Nuggets on Monday.
Across 9:41 of action, the 6'9" big man scored four points on 2-of-4 shooting from the floor and pulled down one board, while playing surprisingly effective defense against Nuggets star center Nikola Jokic during his limited run.
He leapfrogged both 3-and-D center Mo Bamba, cleared to play after sitting out nine straight postseason games due to a left ankle injury, and Wenyen Gabriel.
Thompson, 32, is now an unrestricted free agent. He claimed to have turned down three 10-day contract offers earlier in the season in pursuit of the right fit. It seems like he found that fit alongside former Cleveland Cavalier championship-winning comrade LeBron James and the Lakers.
Mike Trudell of Spectrum SportsNet writes that Thompson, who makes his offseason home in Hidden Hills, seems receptive to returning in a similar role next season.
“I’m all about winning," Thompson said. "I’m two feet in for whatever the team needs. I love it here.”
Obviously adding Thompson at this stage of his career is not a priority for LA, but it will be interesting to see if he is indeed retained on perhaps a non-guaranteed veteran's minimum.
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