Tristan Thompson Stint With Boston Celtics Off To Bad Start, Out With Hamstring Injury

The Boston Celtics have opened camp in preparation for the 2020-21 season, although some players are currently unavailable. Head coach Brad Stevens revealed that Tristan Thompson will also miss the majority of training camp with the new Celtic dealing with a hamstring strain.

The Celtics are already without Kemba Walker and Romeo Langford, both of whom are expected to miss training camp. Even before camp started for Boston, it was already revealed that the 29-year-old was dealing with a minor hamstring strain.

In what could be a precautionary move to ensure that the Canadian center would be good to go for the 2020-21 season, Stevens is sparing Thompson from grueling training for now, NBC Sports reported. He added that the 4th overall pick of the 2011 NBA Draft’s injury is improving and he has been limited to doing light workout for now.

“He’s getting better,” Stevens said of Thompson’s condition. “He’s done very light individual work with some strength and conditioning work but is not participating in any of our stuff other than that right now.”

“We hope to have him ramped up as we get closer to the start of the regular season,” he added.

Hence, Thompson is likely to miss most of training camp. Boston is hoping that he can come in at some point and be ready by the time the new season opens. The Celtics face Eastern Conference rival, Milwaukee Bucks, on Dec. 23, ESPN reported.

Thompson ended up moving to the Celtics, agreeing to a two-year deal worth $19 million. This put an end to his nine-year stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers, which included an NBA title win in 2016.

The 6-foot-9 center-forward fills an important role for the Celtics. Struggling to have a tested big man the past years, Thompson was deemed a perfect fit for Boston, which is looking to bounce back. He is expected to be among the starters for Stevens, alongside Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart and Walker, once he is ready to play.

It was Tatum, Brown and Walker who talked him into joining the Celtics, the Boston Globe reported. He shed some light on the matter during his introductory press conference via NBC Sports.

"The fact that Kemba reached out to me ... I’ve had relationships with all these guys," Thompson said. "It felt like I was wanted and it felt like they really wanted me to be a part of what they’re trying to accomplish. It was a pretty easy decision," Thompson said.