Bulls' Tristan Thompson Already Using Voice to Impact Winning

Thompson already using voice to impact winning for Bulls originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

You saw the 11 points. You saw the six rebounds. You saw the steal, and maybe even the assist.

But those are far from the only ways Tristan Thompson impacted a 112-108 win over the Atlanta Hawks in his Chicago Bulls debut on Thursday.

Allow head coach Billy Donovan to explain.

“He was great on the bench,” Donovan said of Thompson. “When you’ve been around the amount of winning he’s been around, and part of championship teams, you gather a pretty good understanding of the things that go into winning.”

And better yet, Thompson is willing to share. Not displayed in the box score was the fact that his mouth and arms were never static in his 13 minutes on the court. Always, he was calling out coverages and pointing his teammates into the correct position, particularly at the defensive end.

“Tristan’s voice on the bench, his voice on the court was really really impactful,” Donovan added. “He was in the huddle, talking about being more physical and those kinds of things.”

Indeed, there’s no statistic that can quantify the jolt of energy Thompson provides with his hyper-activity, nor the tiring effect he has on opposing big men with his relentless physicality, either — though eight free-throw attempts and two offensive rebounds comes close.

“Part of my niche and what’s helped me be part of some really good teams, and some great teams, is my energy… It's something the team can rely on night in, night out,” Thompson said. “Whether it’s a dunk, or a big offensive rebound, or they call a loose ball foul, or a blocked shot — whatever it may be — whatever can get our team going and get us riled up to go on a run, that's what I'm about. And I'm all about winning.”

Certainly, Thursday provided evidence that Thompson manning the backup center spot behind Nikola Vučević gives the Bulls a better chance to win than any of their previous in-house options — in part due to his production, but also his connective impact.

In that vein, Thompson hasn't been shy about stepping into a vocal leadership role despite signing with the team just six days ago, and participating in only one formal practice before Thursday’s game. He has appeared in 83 playoff games, after all — more than any other Bull — and starred in his role for the championship-winning 2016 Cavaliers.

“I kinda shoot it straight at you. And it's always going to come from a good place,” Thompson said of his communication style. “Any of my teammates you can ask, the past 11 years, my heart's always in the right place, I'm always about team-first. But like what Coach Donovan said, if I notice something — especially on the bench, we're able to see things that the guys that are playing might not be able to recognize or see, I'm gonna use my voice to speak up and say that, just to help the guys.

“We got a lot of guys that are young or haven't been in these kinds of scenarios and situations, so if I'm able to notice something to help them, to just help our team get 1 percent better, I'm doing my job. So I'm gonna be doing that all year. I'm a vocal guy. I think everyone knows that. So however I can help this team I'm gonna do it.

It should surprise no one that this Bulls team has been receptive to that guidance.

“His constant communication. His understanding of the game whenever talking about it. Even, when we was in practice last night, things that he sees that he'll chime in and correct right away,” DeRozan said of Thompson’s impact. “He understands the game. He has a championship. He played on great teams. So he sees a lot of things and jumps on it right away. 

“He's not hesitant to speak up, and that's a true leader. True warrior. And that's one of the guys you want to go to war with, and he brings that in every facet of the game.”

In Thompson, DeRozan and Alex Caruso, Donovan cited three key members of his group that, because of their past experiences on contending teams, truly understand what goes into winning. Everything that goes into winning.

If the Bulls want to replicate the playoff atmosphere that rippled throughout the United Center on Thursday, they’ll need every bit of that.

“The energy tonight felt like some postseason energy,” Thompson said. “It felt good to be out there.”

Rest assured, that’s not the last time that sentiment will be spoken this season.

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