It might take time for Tristan Thompson to make his Boston Celtics debut.
The former Cleveland Cavaliers big man was already set to miss most of training camp due to a hamstring strain and Celtics head coach Brad Stevens is unsure if Thompson will be ready to go for the club's season opener on Dec. 23.
"I think that's hard to say right now," Stevens said Saturday, according to ESPN's Tim Bontemps. "He's not been in any part of practice yet. He's done our pre-practice ... 2-on-2, 3-on-3, very light, simulated reads work on both ends. So that's it."
Thompson inked a two-year, $19-million deal with the Celtics this offseason. The 29-year-old averaged a career-high 12 points and 10.1 boards over 57 appearances for the Cavs in 2019-20.
However, Thompson hasn't played in an NBA contest since March. Cleveland was one of eight teams that didn't earn a spot in the bubble, so his prolonged layoff could be another hurdle.
"He hasn't played in a long time," Stevens said. "He didn't play in the bubble, so there will be a ramp-up period for him whenever he is able to go live in practice, and I'm assuming it won't be just one of those situations where you're available one day and you get a good practice in and you can play. I think it'll be a little more than that.
"I don't know what that means with regard to Dec. 23. Every day that passes I'd say that becomes more unlikely."
Thompson has established himself as one of the league's top offensive rebounders since Cleveland drafted him fourth overall in 2011. He finished fourth in the Association in offensive rebound percentage (14.5%) during the 2019-20 campaign.
The Canadian is expected to challenge Daniel Theis for Boston's starting center gig.
