Why Brad Stevens Is Enthused By Tristan Thompson’s Potential With Celtics

Tristan Thompson could be a major addition to the Celtics — just ask Brad Stevens.

Boston and Thompson recently a greed to a two-year deal, giving the Celtics two things they sorely need: rebounding and championship pedigree. Thompson, who spent the first nine seasons of his NBA career with the Cleveland Cavaliers, is one of the league’s best rebounders as well as a player who knows how it feels to play beyond a conference final.

Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Stevens expressed enthusiasm for Thompson’s potential in Boston.

Check out this tweet from the Celtics:

Whether Thompson can shoot well enough from the free-throw line to earn minutes at the ends of games remains to be seen. So, too, does whether his 3-point shooting last season — he hit on nine of 23 attempts — was an aberration.

Thompson, 29, is coming off a season in which he averaged 12.0 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.