Tristan Thompson isn’t happy about his start, but is focused on the finish

The champion veteran knows it’s about 16 wins in the playoffs more than the peaks and valleys of the regular season.

Speaking with the media after shoot-around ahead of his first game back playing against the franchise for which he played the first decade of his career, Boston Celtics veteran big man Tristan Thompson was asked about where he was at in terms of being ready for the season given the unusual start he’s had.

Not only dealing with the same compressed season — and training camp ahead of it — as everyone else, Thompson hadn’t played a game of NBA basketball since March with the Cleveland Cavaliers not participating in the Disney restart bubble. Add in that the Toronto native started the season on a minutes limit after missing camp with a strained hamstring, and the champion center has been playing catch-up from the rip.

“Not having training camp and injury definitely set me back,” explained Thompson.

“I’m just starting to get my legs a little bit, so of course it’s tough coming back from an injury, and [being on a minutes] restriction and all that jazz … that’d be frustrating. But it’s a long season, and this team is built for the long run. Not for the lottery, or this season until May.”

“This team is built the summer — June or July,” explained the former Cav.

In the midst of their first losing streak of more than two games of the season with three straight losses to the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers, it would be easy to be frustrated — perhaps even dejected. But Thompson feels his experience has prepared him for the ups-and-downs of the season.

“I know during the season there’s going to be peaks and valleys,” offered the Celtic big man. “If you play in this league for ten years, there’s stretches where you feel like you’re on top of the world, and there’s stretches where it’s frustrating at times.”

“But as long as you get back to the basics, and put the work in every day, that’s all that matters,” Thompson added

It seems that the veterans brought in to establish a more hard-working culture still have some of their own to do to set an example as a crucial, more difficult stretch of the schedule draws closer.

But with the blue-collar credo espoused by Thompson manifested into action by himself, Jeff teague and their younger teammates, we may well start to see the fruits of those efforts when it arrives.

Or Boston will have a hole of significance to dig out of instead.

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