Thompson appeared in 57 out of 65 possible games for the Cavaliers during the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 season, with 51 starts. The six-foot-nine veteran averaged career highs in points (12.0) and assists (2.1) per game. He also averaged 10.1 rebounds (one tenth of a rebound behind his career high), 0.9 blocks and 0.6 steals per contest. Thompson shot 51.2 percent from the field and a career-best 39.1 percent from three on 23 total attempts. Before the 2019-20 season, Thompson had only attempted nine three pointers over eight NBA seasons. On Oct. 30, Thompson swatted a career-high five shots, plus scored 23 points, in a home win over the Bulls. For the season, Thompson posted 25 double-doubles. His longest streak of double-doubles was the first four games of the season. During that stretch, Thompson averaged 20.3 points on 16.0 shots, 11.8 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 1.8 assists. On Jan. 9, Thompson scored a career-high 35 points during a road win over the Pistons. In the win, Thompson shot 15-of-20 from the field and added 14 rebounds, three assists, three blocks and one steal in 45 minutes. On Jan. 11, Thompson grabbed a career-best 22 rebounds, plus scored 13 points, during a home loss to the Knicks. On Jan. 25, the big center dished a career-high six dimes at home versus the Bulls. At the time of the Mar. 12 sports stoppage, Thompson ranked 12th in total rebounds (577) and third in total offensive rebounds (226).

Thompson dealt with injuries for a considerable part of the 2018-2019 season. He started 40 games for the Cleveland Cavaliers and played in 43 games. After 27 contests, Thompson missed 10-straight games in late December due to a foot injury. Later, Thompson missed another 26-game stretch from Jan. 18 to Mar. 18 due to reoccurring issues with the injured foot. During the injury shortened season, he set a new career high for rebounds per game with 10.2 and averaged a double-double with 10.9 points per game. His scoring average was his highest output since the 2013-2014 season. Thompson also registered a career best two assists per game. On Dec. 8, he posted a season-high 23 points, plus 19 rebounds, leading the Cavs to a 116-101 win over Washington. Less than a month prior, he matched his career best rebounding performance with 21 boards in a 113-89 Cavs victory over the Hornets. Cleveland finished the season with a 19-63 record and missed the playoffs. Thompson has two more years remaining on his contract with the Cavs.

Thompson appeared in 53 games (22 starts) for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2017-2018. The Canadian big man averaged 5.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per tilt and shot over 56 percent from the field for the third consecutive season. Known for his rebounding prowess, Thompson collected double-digit rebounds in 11 games during the regular season, snatching a season-high 14 rebounds against New Orleans on Mar. 30. Thompson appeared in 19 playoff games for the Cavs. He tallied three double-doubles. His best playoff performances came during the Eastern Conference Finals, where he averaged 7.4 points and 8.0 rebounds in a seven-game series victory over the Boston Celtics. Thompson helped the Cavaliers advance to the NBA Finals for the fourth straight season.

Thompson averaged 8.1 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and 1.0 assists during the 2016-17 season. The departure of Timofey Mozgov officially gave Thompson the starting center position, where the 6-foot-9 big man started and played 78 games. Though he missed four contests, his 447 consecutive appearances remained the longest streak in team history and longest active streak in the NBA up until April 5. Thompson shot a career-best 60 percent from the field, which would have placed fifth for the league had the 26-year-old played the qualifying number of minutes. He achieved his season highs of 22 points, 20 rebounds and five assists all during February. Thompson completed the month averaging 11.7 points, 10.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists through 11 games. Cleveland finished the year at 51-31 to earn the second seed in the Eastern Conference, allowing the six-year vet to compete in his third straight postseason. Thompson posted averages of 8.2 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists through 18 playoff contests. He provided his best performance with 20 points, nine rebounds, two assists and two steals in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals at Boston.

After entering the open market as a restricted free agent, Thompson eventually re-signed with the Cavaliers on a five-year contract. He averaged 7.8 points and 9.0 rebounds under 27.7 minutes per game during the 2015-16 season. For the fourth consecutive year, Thompson played all 82 games -- albeit starting just 34 times -- and finished near the top of the league in offensive rebounds (268, 2nd). He shot a career-best 58.8 percent, a marked improvement over his 54.7 percent from the 2014-15 campaign. Thompson arguably delivered his best performance of the year with 15 points (6-6 FG, 3-3 FT), 13 rebounds, four assists and one block during a start against the Lakers on Feb. 10. He shared the starting center spot with Timofey Mozgov, though, so that lead to him starting under 50 percent of the regular season. Cleveland finished first in the East at 57-25 and entrusted Thompson as the starting center for the playoffs, where the 25-year-old center averaged 6.7 points and 9.0 rebounds per contest. The 25-year-old established playoff highs of 15 points, 16 rebounds, three assists, two blocks and one steal through the Cavaliers' 21 postseason contests. The decision to start Thompson proved essential as the Cavs went on to win the franchise's first NBA title in a thrilling seven-game Finals against the Golden State Warriors.

Thompson played all 82 games for the third consecutive year, averaging 8.5 points and 8.0 rebounds for the Cavaliers during the season. Though the acquisitions of LeBron James and Kevin Love moved the four-year vet to the bench, he remained one of the best rebounders on offense by finishing fifth in offensive boards (274). Thompson occasionally played from the starting lineup, averaging 12.6 points and 9.7 rebounds for 15 games. He produced a season-high mark in points during a start, assembling 24 points on Jan. 16 against the Clippers, but his season-high 19 rebounds on Mar. 1 against the Rockets came from the bench. Thompson largely refined his shot efficiency while coming off the bench, improving from 47.7 percent shooting the previous year to a career-best 54.7 percent. Cleveland concluded the campaign at 53-29, confirming a first playoff appearance for the 24-year-old. After an uneventful first round, he received the starting power forward spot after a shoulder injury to Love forced the All-Star to miss the rest of the postseason. Thompson averaged 10.6 points, 12.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 15 playoff starts for the Cavs. He put forward his best rebounding performance during the deciding Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, garnering 17 boards against the Bulls. Thompson scored a playoff-high 19 points in Game 5 of the NBA Finals before Cleveland ultimately lost the series to Golden State in six.

During the 2013 offseason, Thompson made the unusual decision of switching his shooting hand from his left hand to the right. The sudden alteration proved to have no adverse effect on his scoring output, as he repeated last year's stats by playing 82 games and once again averaged 11.7 points per game. The efficiency did not take a hit either, as Thompson shot a respectable 47.7 percent from the field and a career-best 69.3 percent from the free throw line. Arguably, the 23-year-old's most standout performance came on Feb. 12 against the Pistons, as he scored 25 points (a season-high) and grabbed 15 boards. In February, Thompson had his best month and averaged 13.2 points, 10.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists per contest. The third-year vet's 9.2 rebounds per game ranked 19th in the NBA and his 754 total rebounds ranked 13th. Thompson established a new rebounding career-best on Dec. 4 by obtaining 21 boards (nine offensive) against the Nuggets. His total of 269 offensive boards ranked fifth among all NBA players. For the season, Thompson tallied 36 double-doubles, a five game improvement over last season.

Thompson averaged 11.7 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists in his second season with the Cavaliers. The second-year forward played and started all 82 contests, averaging 31.3 minutes per game during the campaign. His constant availability had a significant effect on his total rebounding numbers, as Thompson finished with 773 total boards, good for 9th in the NBA, and 306 offensive boards, which ranked 2nd in the league. The 22-year-old established new career highs for points and rebounds in the same game, scoring 29 points and collecting 17 boards on Apr. 5 at Boston. Thompson significantly improved his shot efficiency and frequency. This season he shot 48.8 percent from the field with 9.7 field goals attempts per contest compared to the 43.9 percent and 7.4 field goals attempts per game that he shot last season as a rookie.

Following a year at the University of Texas, Thompson joined the Cleveland Cavaliers via the fourth overall pick of the 2011 NBA Draft. The former McDonald's All-American went on to average 8.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.0 blocks during his rookie season with the Cavs. Thompson made most of a lockout-shortened campaign, playing 60 games and eventually cementing a starting position in the Cleveland lineup. Thompson made his NBA debut on Dec. 26 with 12 points and five rebounds in a home loss to the Raptors. On Mar. 18, Thompson received his first NBA start and posted seven points, six boards, one assist and one steal in a home loss to the Hawks. The following night, the rookie posted a season-high 27 points, plus 12 rebounds, during a win at New Jersey. Thompson would continue to start for the rest of the season and started 25 total games for the Cavs, posting averages of 10.4 points and 7.5 rebounds during that span. The league rewarded Thompson with a spot on the All-Rookie Second Team.