Older veterans are a dying breed in today’s NBA.
Teams are looking to get younger and younger, and there doesn’t seem to be much room for the end-of-the-bench veteran.
That’s why it’s refreshing to see that the Cleveland Cavaliers have kept Tristan Thompson around.
Notably, it allowed him to make franchise history in Tuesday night’s win over the Chicago Bulls.
As pointed out by Cavs Notes on X, Thompson became just the fifth player in franchise history with at least 700 appearances, joining the likes of LeBron James, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Danny Ferry, and Bingo Smith.
.@RealTristan13 is the 5th player in @cavs history to appear in at least 700 games with the franchise (LeBron James, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Danny Ferry and Bingo Smith). https://t.co/oQivXoJhhl
— Cavs Notes (@CavsNotes) March 5, 2025
Thompson was on the court for just a couple of minutes, as has been the case for most of the season, but this is still a remarkable achievement.
Not so long ago, teams had at least one older veteran on the team.
It was someone who could show the younger players the ropes of the game, take them under their wing, mentor them, and teach them about the NBA lifestyle, work ethic, and what it takes to succeed.
That’s why they’re so important, even if their impact doesn’t reflect on the stat sheet or if they barely play.
Guys like Udonis Haslem were instrumental to the Miami Heat culture and passing the torch to younger generations.
Thompson was never a perfect player, but he was a very serviceable contributor to an NBA championship team in his prime, and he will most likely finish his career with the very same team that took him No. 4 back in 2011.
NEXT: Fans React To Cavs' Win Over Bulls
