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Tristan Thompson adjusting to new role with the Cleveland Cavaliers

Tristan Thompson poured in 21 points in his return to Toronto Friday. (USA TODAY Sports)
Tristan Thompson poured in 21 points in his return to Toronto Friday. (USA TODAY Sports)

TORONTO – As far as homecomings go, Tristan Thompson really couldn’t have asked for a better night.

In front of a crowd that included 40 of his friends and family and a handful of NBA legends in Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley and Dikembe Mutumbo, the Brampton, Ont., native poured in a season-high 21 points and added 14 rebounds while coming off the bench in a 105-91 victory over the Toronto Raptors.

“Tristan just came out and played an exceptional game at both ends of the court, defending, rebounding in traffic, finishing around the basket, making good decisions with the ball when he didn’t have shots and just competing at a high level and obviously he was a key to our win,” Cavaliers head coach David Blatt said after the game.

“We haven’t been getting scoring off the bench. We really needed someone to come with great energy and give us a life . . . Tristan did it in a fabulous way.”

Now in his fourth season with the Cavaliers, Thompson has been forced to adjust to a new role within the team’s lineup.

The addition of all-star power forward Kevin Love over the summer has meant the 23-year-old Thompson, who spent the last two years in the starting lineup, has been coming off the bench for almost all of the first two months of this season.

And his numbers have thus, unsurprisingly, taken a hit.

Thompson averaged nearly a double-double over the last two seasons – 11.7 points and 9.3 rebounds in over 31 minutes per game.

He came into Friday night’s tilt averaging just 8.4 points and six rebounds in just over 25 minutes on floor per game.

But Thompson doesn't appear to be phased by the lesser role he now has on a Cavaliers team that many expect to contend for an Eastern Conference title.

“I think whether I start or come off the bench, it’s about being productive,” Thompson said before the game Friday. “For me as a player I’m going to put my hard hat on, punch in on the clock and just play hard. Everyone that’s seen me play knows that’s how I play and that’s my game so whether or not I’m starting or coming off the bench as long as I’m coming in and keeping the energy up and being efficient that’s all that matters.”

Instead of focussing on his minutes, he’s looking at the positives of his current situation, for example, having the opportunity to learn from one of the top players in the NBA in LeBron James on a daily basis.

“It’s definitely been a blessing,” Thompson said when asked what it’s been like to train, practice and simply spend time off the court with James. “He was one of the first guys that texted me right after Labour Day saying, ‘let’s let back in the gym,’ so whenever you have arguably the best player in the world right now calling the guys to come in and workout, especially so early in the offseason, it’s definitely a good feeling. And for us younger players we can definitely learn a lot from how successful he’s been.”

He’s also learning that having the superstar as a teammate means a little extra commotion in the Cavaliers locker room, especially when the team goes on the road.

Talking with reporters prior to tip off on Friday, Thompson was asked if there’s a different atmosphere around the Cleveland this season now that the Cavaliers are a contender again.

He glanced across the room at the throng of media members hovering around James’s stall and smiled.

“Whenever you have LeBron James playing on your team it’s definitely a lot more attention. There are more cameras in here right now than I’ve ever seen in my life.”

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