CHICAGO — It has been nearly 15 years since Billy Donovan first tried to get Tristan Thompson on his team — a fact the new Chicago Bulls center wasted no time teasing his coach about Wednesday.
For Donovan, Thompson was “another one I lost” back in his days recruiting as the University of Florida head coach. Long before either made the jump to the NBA, Donovan attended Thompson’s eighth-grade games, hoping to snag the hard-nosed center for the Gators.
Thompson ultimately went to Texas for a single year, but he remained in Donovan’s orbit as they faced each other in the NBA. After Thompson signed with the Bulls on Saturday, both player and coach felt the connection made sense.
“It worked out for both of us, right?” Thompson said. “It all comes around full circle.”
Thompson entered his first meeting with Chicago media with a laid-back personality known well outside of basketball fandom. He riffed about the Golden State Warriors’ former Big Three, admitted he’s not much of a deep-dish pizza guy and cracked jokes about sending DeMar DeRozan off to Cancun early in previous Eastern Conference playoff series between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Toronto Raptors.
“I’m an outspoken person, so I’m just going to speak,” Thompson said.
That voice is one of the key attributes Donovan and the Bulls front office sought as they scoped the buyout market for an addition to bulk up their presence in the paint during the final stretch of the season.
With injuries nagging all areas of the roster, the Bulls needed depth at center — and an enforcer. Between Thompson’s physical style and veteran experience, Donovan feels the Bulls struck an optimal balance in signing him.
Even for a veteran, however, getting up to speed will be a rushed process for the 30-year-old Thompson over the final 23 regular-season games.
“He’s been around for so long, he’s been on different teams, he’s played with different players, but the adjustment period of playing with a new team always takes a little bit of time,” Donovan said. “The terminology will take a little bit of time. He’s got to get that down because he’s very, very vocal.”
Thompson’s transition will be aided by familiarity across the roster. He has played against Nikola Vučević for more than a decade, going back to a USC-Texas game in December 2010. He became close with Javonte Green while playing for the Boston Celtics last season.
The player Thompson knew the best — and craved playing with the most — was DeRozan. Thompson and the Cavaliers broke DeRozan’s heart three years in a row, ousting the Raptors in six games in the 2016 Eastern Conference finals before twice sweeping them in the conference semifinals as DeRozan desperately tried to deliver a title to Toronto.
On the court, DeRozan and Thompson built the familiarity that forms between longtime veterans of the same conference. Off the court, the two are also close friends, a relationship that helped crystallize Thompson’s decision to come to Chicago.
Thompson wasted no time Wednesday launching into an MVP campaign for DeRozan.
“He’s playing out of this world,” Thompson said. “Right now, he’s the league MVP in my eyes. Flat out. What he’s able to be doing with Zach (LaVine) out and with Zo (Lonzo Ball) out and with AC (Alex Caruso) out and Vooch was out a little bit too, for him to be able to just hold the fort down and keep that ship right — that’s what an MVP does.”
Thompson compared DeRozan’s shooting to Michael Jordan’s — “that’s how nice his midrange is” — and championed his new teammate as one of the top competitors in the league.
He also cited DeRozan’s patience to grind outside of the spotlight, first in Toronto and then in San Antonio, as a cornerstone for his appeal as a teammate.
“Look at him getting that extra work in right now,” Thompson said, nodding at DeRozan across the gym as the forward put up extra shots after practice. “That’s what I’m talking about.”
Thompson held an audience of interested teams — although he wouldn’t specify the exact number — when he entered the buyout market after the Indiana Pacers decided to waive him. The Bulls held his interest as a potential title contender, standing out because of the veteran trio of DeRozan, LaVine and Vučević.
On Wednesday, Thompson ran through a rapid scouting report of the Bulls roster from DeRozan to Coby White, praising the team’s versatility and scoring ability.
“All those pieces are what you need to put yourself in the position to be one of the last teams dancing,” Thompson said. “The key is, can we put it all together? And I think that starts with defense for us. The teams that play in June, they’re always top 10 in defense.”
Defense will be a key area for Thompson to contribute as the Bulls battle a months-long slippage from one of the best defenses in the league to middling at best. While the loss of Caruso and Ball damaged their perimeter defense, their small-ball style also leaves the paint vulnerable for opponents to bully their way to the rim.
With a stalwart build at 6-foot-9 and 254 pounds, Thompson is a clear answer to that bullying. Donovan said he didn’t feel the Bulls’ lack of size was “a real bad weakness,” but signing Thompson alleviates pressure on Vučević while providing more versatility in secondary rotations.
While the transition might take a few weeks, Thompson said he values the adaptability of his game, a trait he believes will help make him a quick fit in Chicago.
“(Players) that coaches have to draw up stuff for you, draw up plays for you or tailor-make situations for you to be successful, not every team can use those,” Thompson said. “You want to be a guy your coach can just plug in any scenario. I feel like I’ve (made) a niche for myself in this league by being one of those guys that could just plug in there and just go out and play.”
