Report: Triston Thompson to miss 'multiple games' with a right ankle sprain

What's the story?

The Cleveland Cavaliers announced on Sunday that center Tristan Thompson has suffered from a right ankle sprain and is expected to miss multiple games.

In case you didn't know...

The Cavaliers’ big man is one of the most durable players in the NBA. He has played all 82 games for 4 straight seasons from 2012-2016 and at one point had played 447 consecutive games before a thumb injury broke his streak and kept him out for a few games last year.

The heart of the matter...

Cleveland Cavaliers’ big man Tristan Thompson suffered an injury on Saturday while playing against the Denver Nuggets. He continued to play even after the sprain but has now suffered a swelling overnight. He will now “undergo a period of treatment and rehabilitation” before returning.

Thompson has already missed about one month this season due to a calf strain and since then it just hasn’t been the same story. He has failed to maintain his past production when on the court. Although he survived the Cavaliers’ makeover at the trade deadline, he is only averaging 6.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game in 2017-18 and surely is not as effective as he has been in the previous few seasons.

The Cleveland Cavaliers do need him in the post and his absence under the rim will surely be notable. With Kevin Love already being out with a fractured left hand suffered in January, there is severe lack of depth at the center position which is stretching Cleveland’s frontcourt depth even thinner.

With both these key players out, Larry Nance Jr., Jeff Green and Ante Zizic will need to fill his shoes and will need to step up.

What's next?

The Cleveland Cavaliers have now lost 2 in a row and would look to get back to winning ways as they play the Detroit Pistons on Monday.

Author's take

It is quite bizarre to see Tristan Thompson missing so many games this season. He is an integral part of the rotation for the Cavaliers and his absence is surely going to reflect in their game. Looks like LeBron James might be playing some minutes at the center position.