How Can Tristan Thompson Live Up to Giant New Contract from Cleveland Cavaliers?

Tristan Thompson bet on himself and won.

After turning down a four-year, $52 million extension last offseason, as reported by Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, the 24-year-old forward-center has agreed to a monstrous new deal.

As reported by ESPN's Marc Stein and Jeff Goodman, Thompson and the Cleveland Cavaliers have agreed to five years and "in excess of" $80 million, or $3 million more annually than last summer's offer. This comes on the heels of Kevin Love announcing he'll also be returning to the Cavaliers on a deal believed to be for $108.9 million over the next five seasons, per Jeff Zillgitt and Sam Amick of USA Today.

With Love certainly returning to his usual starting power forward spot and Timofey Mozgov handling starting center duties, did the Cavaliers overpay for Thompson, a backup big?

Why the Deal Was Done

There's a lot to question about handing a reserve $16 million a year, especially one with so little of an offensive game. Had Cleveland dragged the process out and allowed Thompson to explore other offer sheets and then matched, it likely would have retained him for far less.

Choosing such an option would have likely not sat well with LeBron James, however, who's set to sign his own extension and has chosen a "wait-and-see" approach with the Cavaliers' front office, according to Chris Haynes of Cleveland.com. Thompson and James share an agent, Rich Paul, who was instrumental in James' return to Cleveland last summer.

Tony Dejak/Associated Press

There was no doubt that the Cavs wanted Thompson, their No. 4 overall pick in the 2011 draft, back. No one can say a bad word about him. He's young, athletic, works his tail off and does the less glamorous jobs without complaining, even when moved in and out of the starting lineup.

Only DeAndre Jordan of the Los Angeles Clippers has played in more consecutive games than Thompson, who hasn't missed a contest since his rookie season of 2011-12.

After averaging 10.6 points, 12.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocks as a starter in the playoffs as Love's injury replacement, Thompson has proved himself to be a necessity, not a luxury, for the Cavs.

While $16 million annually may seem like a lot of money, Thompson can, and should, live up to his new deal.

Offensive Production

Two categories typically justify the cost of a player: numbers and wins.

Thompson isn't going to wow anyone with individual statistics. His rebounding numbers consistently jump out, but scoring, blocks, assists and steals will always leave fans wanting more.

In 82 regular-season games (just 15 as a starter) last season, Thompson put up a respectable 8.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 0.7 blocks in 26.8 minutes a night. His per-36 stat averages were comparable over previous seasons as a starter, save for two areas.

Without the offensive pressure of yesteryears, Thompson's shot-attempt quality went up, as did his field-goal percentage. After shooting 47.3 percent during his first three seasons, Thompson finished the 2014-15 campaign at a 54.7 percent clip. His offensive rating also spiked, reaching 121 following a previous 107 career average.

For Thompson to live up to his new deal, he'll have to fill up some less than sexy stat boxes.

At the top of this list sits offensive rebounding, something he's thrived on thus far. Thompson's 3.3 O-boards and 14.5 offensive rebounding percentage ranked fifth and fourth in the NBA last season, respectively. On a team loaded with offensive weapons like James, Love and Kyrie Irving, having a second chance at a basket can be heartbreaking for opposing defenses.

As good as he's been, Thompson now must become elite.

This means approaching the 18.3 percent offensive rebounding mark pulled down by league leader Andre Drummond of the Detroit Pistons. It means climbing closer to Drummond's 5.3 team misses collected per game as well.

Offensively, Thompson doesn't need to drop 10-15 points a night, but he absolutely must be efficient.

Jesse D. Garrabrant/Getty Images

Rarely does the ball end up in his hands at the end of the shot clock. Instead, Thompson thrives on putbacks, cuts to the basket and alley-oop opportunities, all high-percentage shots. Posting a career-best 58.0 true shooting percentage last season was a nice start, as he thrived among playmakers both high and low.

Now, Thompson should look to join the likes of fellow offensively limited big men Tyson Chandler and Jordan. Both are typically among the league's best when it comes to field-goal percentage and true shooting due to their ability to consistently attempt and make these at-the-basket, high-percentage looks.

Thompson doesn't need to suddenly transform into a stretch 4 or master a post game, but rather continue to build on his solid core of rebounding and finishing at the rim.

Defensive Versatility

Thompson has the ability to become an elite defender in today's NBA. At 6'9", he's not going to be a rim protector (0.7 career blocks per game) or be able to bang with some of the bigger centers in the league.

What Thompson brings, however, is the athleticism to guard the pick-and-roll, close out on shooters and double-team when needed. The league is pick-and-roll heavy, and teams need versatile defenders like Thompson who can switch assignments as necessary.

Tony Dejak/Associated Press

The Cavs and viewers across the globe caught a glimpse of Thompson's defensive value in the NBA Finals, especially Games 4, 5 and 6. After the Golden State Warriors went to a smaller, quicker lineup, Mozgov was somewhat neutralized. Coach David Blatt was forced to bench the 7'1" Mozgov for all but nine minutes in Game 5, as the Warriors' small lineup and switching consistently left Timofey in no-man's land.

Thompson then became the ideal defender against smaller, quicker lineups. As Zach Lowe of Grantland pointed out before the Finals:

"

Every Golden State playoff opponent has tried switching bigs onto Curry to prevent seams from opening, but Thompson is the first enemy big since Anthony Davis with the quickness to (maybe) hold his own. Thompson, always crouched in a perfect stance, might be even better than Davis at this discrete skill.

"

While Mozgov may be the superior rim protector and shot-blocker, the argument could be made for Thompson as the better overall defender.

During the Finals against the league's best offensive team, Thompson consistently held the Warriors below their normal shooting percentages from all areas of the court, per NBA.com.

Golden State shot 51.9 percent from within 10 feet, a dip from its normal 57.5. With Thompson stepping out to defend the three-point line, the Warriors dropped 8.3 notches, from 38.9 to just 30.6 percent.

This kind of versatility is something Thompson needs to continue improving upon, becoming the multipositional defender the Cavaliers need.

Meshing with Teammates

Despite being perceived as the team's third-best big, Thompson fills a lot of the holes that Love and Mozgov have left open.

Unlike Thompson, both do their best rebounding on the defensive end. With Love used as a stretch 4 so often, his chances at offensive boards greatly decrease. With this combination, Thompson can play the role of traditional center, which better fits his skill set. Next to Mozgov, Thompson can be used at power forward, which better suits his size.

Mark Duncan/Associated Press

Thompson also becomes the Cavaliers' ultimate insurance policy.

Although Love has signed his own new deal, he's coming off shoulder surgery and has missed 103 games the past four seasons. His durability isn't at Anderson Varejao levels by any means, but it is something to keep tabs on.

Mozgov has proven to be durable, but will he be around? The soon-to-be 29-year-old will become an unrestricted free agent next summer. Given that Thompson was just awarded $80 million to be a backup, Mozgov will assuredly ask for more.

Already with a payroll north of $100 million, will the Cavs comply? If Mozgov walks in free agency, Cleveland can rest assured Thompson is more than capable of filling his shoes.

If forced into a starting role, whether by injury or free-agent departure, Thompson needs to become the nightly double-double machine he was when filling in for Love this year. With the contracts being handed out this summer and in years to come, $16 million for a quality starting big man will quickly become the norm.

If Mozgov does indeed re-sign, Thompson should still receive 25-30 minutes a game off the bench. His value comes in the ability to fill in at both power forward and center, with the Cavaliers being able to run their normal offense without having to fit Thompson into the game plan. He can adjust to a number of different situations and roles without forcing changes on anyone else.

In all, Thompson represents the Cavaliers' best offensive rebounder and most versatile post defender. He's only continued to get stronger every offseason and provides the durability Cleveland needs behind Love. The move also keeps James and his agency happy while retaining Thompson in wine and gold until he approaches 30.

The Cavaliers essentially have a five-year window for championships with Irving, Love, Thompson and soon James all under contract.

The ultimate test of Thompson's worthiness of $80 million will come down to team success. Should Cleveland end its 52-year drought with Thompson playing a significant role, no one will say he wasn't worth it.

Greg Swartz has covered the Cleveland Cavaliers and NBA for Bleacher Report since 2010. Follow him on Twitter: @CavsGregBR

All stats come via Basketball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.