How Tristan Thompson can make the Chicago Bulls real title contenders

For those anxiously awaiting vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas to make a few bold moves in an attempt to thrust the Chicago Bulls into Eastern Conference contention, the NBA trade deadline was likely a dull — and disappointing — affair. In fact, the Bulls would make no new acquisitions until the post-deadline buyout market came along, where the team added veteran big man Tristan Thompson.

Although rumors circled the team for months about their interest in a multitude of trade candidates, the Bulls ultimately stood firm at the deadline and put their faith in this team as currently constructed.

Well, perhaps not as currently constructed, if Karnisovas’ post-deadline comments are any indication. Getting this group back up to full health has been the top priority all along, with Lonzo Ball, Alex Caruso, and Patrick Williams all set to return from lengthy injuries that have kept them sidelined.

Furthermore, the addition of Thompson could prove to be just what the Bulls needed, as none of the existing core had to be traded away to get him. With the team’s chemistry blossoming at just the right time, it makes sense why keeping the core intact and waiting out this slew of injuries may actually be the best plan of action by the front office.

With their signing of Tristan Thompson, the Chicago Bulls are signaling to the rest of the league their intentions to truly contend for the title.

In today’s NBA, teams must be aggressive in their decision-making if they wish to be the ones hoisting the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy when it’s all said and done. In 2019, the Raptors traded their franchise’s best player for Kawhi; In 2020, the Lakers went all the way after paying a king’s ransom for Anthony Davis; And in 2021, the Bucks reigned supreme with the decision to trade for Jrue Holiday and commit max money to each of their three stars.

This history has likely affected the decision-making in the minds of Chicago’s front office as well, seeing as how the Bulls have made bold moves to acquire DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic, and Lonzo Ball. The Bulls were forced to give up assets in each of these trades, but they too appear to be proving the working theory that aggressive moves are necessary in order to improve.

Thompson is the latest — and likely the last — player being brought in to elevate this team even further. The 2021-22 Chicago Bulls are now virtually unrecognizable compared to the roster they finished the season with back in 2019, with only Zach LaVine and Coby White as the remaining incumbents from the prior management duo of Gar Forman and John Paxson.

This new-look roster is a marked improvement upon last year’s Bulls that finished 31-41, but there are still holes worth patching up. That is precisely where Thompson’s veteran presence comes into play.

While Chicago seems to have finally ditched their losing ways, this team is certainly not without its faults. In fact, the Bulls are the second-worst team in the entire league on the offensive glass. Hauling in just 24.3 percent of all missed field goals, only the Philadelphia 76ers are weaker in their ability to successfully gather second chance points opportunities.

Speaking of second chance points, the Bulls also rank 28th in the NBA in points scored off of offensive rebounds. While the team prides itself on elite efficiency from all areas of the court, this squad will still struggle to win close playoff games averaging just 11 second chance points per contest.

This, in my opinion, is where Thompson stands to make an enormous impact for the Bulls. If you were to extrapolate Thompson’s current production into a role with more minutes and more meaningful gams, he’d have the second-highest offensive rebounding percentage in the NBA behind only Memphis’ Steven Adams.

He’d join Adams and New York’s Mitchell Robinson as the only three players in the league who grab 15 percent or more of all offensive rebounds whenever they’re on the court. This is particularly interesting, considering the reports that surfaced that Chicago was interested in Robinson at the trade deadline. It’s clear the Bulls’ front office wanted someone to directly fill this hole in the roster, and there simply was no better available option to do so than Thompson himself.

Many have said that this team needs a “Giannis stopper”. Many others have also claimed this team needs an enforcer to rally behind in critical moments. It’s possible Thompson could step up to fill those roles, but more than anything, he must be the guy Chicago can depend on to grab stray rebounds that create extra possessions and shot opportunities for the offensive firepower on this roster.

“I just play hard… do whatever it takes to win, whether it’s set screens, dive for loose balls, finish around the rim. Whatever my team needs to win, that’s all that matters.”

If any player is up to that job, it’s Tristan Thompson. He’s made a name for himself in this league almost solely off of his ability to reel in boards. He played an essential role in Cleveland’s championship chase back in 2016 for this reason in particular during a season where he averaged 11.7 rebounds per 36 minutes. Since then, his game has only continued to improve.

Thompson’s raw box score stats won’t jump off the page at you this year, largely because he was logjammed on the bench of the struggling Sacramento Kings for much of the season prior to coming to Chicago. However, he proved his worth when given minutes, seeing as how he averaged 11.2 points and 7.4 rebounds during a five-game stretch in December when he was allowed to see the court for 25 minutes a night.

Tristan would go on to showcase he still had a lot in the tank for the Indiana Pacers on February 16, when he posted 17 points and 6 rebounds on 8-for-9 shooting from the field during a win over the Wizards. That same night, Thompson would be traded to the Bulls, largely because he was simply playing too well for the team to ensure they lose enough games to secure solid draft lottery positioning.

For that reason, I fully expect Thompson to relish once again receiving a large role for a contending roster. This will be Thompson’s first real chance to compete for a championship since the 2017-18 season, and that fact is not lost on him.

“I just play hard… do whatever it takes to win, whether it’s set screens, dive for loose balls, finish around the rim,” Thompson told Bulls beat reporter Sam Smith, “Whatever my team needs to win, that’s all that matters.”

While he may not be the blockbuster trade many fans were hoping for, there’s still ample reason to believe that Tristan Thompson was just what this team needed as it prepares to leap into full-on title contention. Considering the virtually non-existent price the Chicago Bulls signed him for, it’s going to be near impossible for this experiment to fail.