Trsitan Thompson exited the Cleveland Cavaliers’ loss against the Indiana Pacers due to a calf injury, and he’s not coming back soon.
According to Shams Charania of The Vertical, Thompson is expected to miss one month while recovering from the left calf strain.
Even though the center had struggled in the early portion of the campaign, this is another problem for a 3-5 team frustrated and dealing with injuries.
Cleveland will now be without All-Star guard Isaiah Thomas, Thompson and reserve Iman Shumpert. LeBron James has been working through a lingering ankle issue, and Derrick Rose recently returned from a four-game absence.
Thompson averaged just 4.4 points and 6.1 rebounds in his first eight appearances, opening the season on the bench before reclaiming a spot in the starting lineup. However, the Cavs dropped four of those five contests.
Nevertheless, Cleveland will miss Thompson’s presence on the glass. Entering this year, he’d never averaged fewer than three offensive rebounds per game. Whenever the Cavs find their rhythm, his ability to create second-chance points would be valuable.
In the meantime, the Cavs will likely shift Kevin Love to center and scatter Thompson’s minutes between Channing Frye and Ante Zizic.