Tristan Thompson a 'work in progress' on the offensive end

Cleveland Cavaliers power forward Tristan Thompson was expected to be a work in progress when he was selected fourth by the team in the 2011 draft. Unfortunately for the Cavs, there has not been much progress from Thompson, at least on the offensive side of the ball.

Despite putting in extra work this offseason, Thompson has struggled this year, averaging just 8.8 points on 45.9 percent shooting from the field. One of the biggest issues is his finishing around the rim, as noted by Cavs coach Byron Scott (via Ohio.com):

"I think he's getting frustrated because he's not scoring in the paint like he thinks he should," Cavs coach Byron Scott said. "But again, as much as he's worked on all the stuff on the offensive end, that's not the reason we drafted him. We drafted him because of his energy and how hard he plays. I think sometimes he's losing focus in that area because he's focusing on trying to score."

Jason Lloyd for Ohio.com dug into the numbers a little bit, and found that Thompson has made just 48-of-82 shots inside of three feet. That's not a bad number for a guard, but it's not all that good for a big man who should have an easier time making shots around the basket.

Thompson has been hard on himself for all of the misses, but he will continue to work hard in order to improve. And the Cavs plan on giving the power forward plenty of time to develop as long as he continues to provide energy, rebounding and defense.