Six years ago, Canadian-born Tristan Thompson helped the Cleveland Cavaliers capture a Championship over the 73-9 Golden State Warriors.
Today, he’s the subject of jokes and memes online as clips of his pre-game shootaround go viral on Twitter. The 20-second video, which shows Thompson bricking close-range jumpers, has been littered with comments from fans poking a bit of fun at his ugly display of shooting.
Pregame construction 🧱
(via kost2kost1/TT) pic.twitter.com/v9zJHDSDq0
— Overtime (@overtime) March 3, 2022
Here are some of the most notable comments we found:
Damn lol maybe should start him warming up without the jump … just snap it up and in …then incorporate the jump after he got the rhythm lol …..
— BRi 🦋 (@RAppA_SAnGA) March 3, 2022
Make sure you “MJ was playing against plumbers” save this clip for who Bron played against. pic.twitter.com/X7uYT8zfFn
— Art (rip Bean) (@Art_man_23) March 3, 2022
— A-A-Ron (@aaronh0196) March 3, 2022
— Keith McPherson (@Keith_McPherson) March 3, 2022
Is he missing it purposely? There's no way lol
— 👟🦅 (@Tylerhartling) March 3, 2022
Big man coach after practice pic.twitter.com/Xri5A705wS
— willie cunningham (@IamWillie) March 3, 2022
— LakeShowHoopsᴾᴴ (@LakeShowHoopsPH) March 3, 2022
Keep in mind he’s making more than most of us to do that 😂
— Lou (@ItsLouFrFr) March 3, 2022
Man how in the hell is that even possible 😭
— 🐐🐐GOATS (@KINGGOATGOAT) March 3, 2022
https://twitter.com/Aziry922/status/1499411051380711432
Hopefully, Thompson was just testing out his form or something, because those misses are concerning. Fortunately, he’s on a team that doesn’t need him to play a huge role.
This season, the Chicago Bulls have emerged as one of the best teams in the league, and Thompson’s status as an elite rebounder should prove useful in helping to strengthen the frontcourt.
Of course, he’s also a great guy to have in the locker room. As he has pointed out before, he needs motivation from no one and is always ready to give 100% effort.
“It’s not about Coach Walton inspiring you,” Thompson told the media when he was still in Sacramento (via Matt George of ABC10). “I don’t need no f–king coach to inspire me – never have, never will. The day I need a coach to inspire me is the day I’m f–king retiring. I speak with my teammates with that quote. We don’t need a coach to inspire us. This is the NBA. No one’s going to feel sorry for you. C-Webb and Bibby ain’t coming through that door, so you’ve got to keep pushing each and every day. Keep getting better in practice, keep watching the film, learn from your mistakes.”
At 30-years-old, Thompson isn’t the same player he was in Cleveland. He’s only averaging 15 minutes per game for his first few matches with the Bulls so far.
While some fans say it won’t be long before he starts racking up DNPs, his pre-game shootaround proves he is still willing and devoted to hone and perfect his craft.
Hopefully, it pays off with a strong performance for the rest of the season.
