Is Tristan Thompson On Ben Wallace's Level?


I was emailing a friend who LOVES Ben Wallace and I dared to mention Wallace & Tristan Thompson in the same sentence.  Here was his response:
Pistons Ben Wallace makes Tristan Thompson look like Steve Nash.
So I asked him to quickly break it down for me - here is his very quick reply:

A Thompson/Wallace comparison is nothing short of pure disrespect to Big Ben. Thompson is more on the level of Cavs Ben Wallace.

Let's analyze their #'s:

  • 2017 regular season Thompson (Cavs): 8.1 ppg, 9.2 reb (3.7 off), 1.1 blks, 2.0 def win shares
  • 2008 regular season Wallace (Cavs): 4.2 ppg, 7.4 reb (2.7 off), 1.7 blks, 2.7 def ws
Thompson is 26.
Ben Wallace was 34.  

 Here's Ben Wallace at 26:
  • 2002 regular season Wallace (Pistons): 7.6 ppg, 13.0 rpg (4.0 off), 3.5 blks, 4.1 def ws
Wallace could play on Thompson's level without the use of his knees.

Ben Wallace also frequented two hair styles (Fro Wallace and Cornrow Wallace) and wore unlimited sweatbands all over his limbs.

Tristan Thompson only sports one and wears no gear.

They do weigh about the same,  ~240lbs, but Wallace looks much bigger and therefore weighs more than Thompson. Wallace is like a 45 lb plate in the gym and Thompson is a 25 with a 10 and two 5's.

Thompson has a long way to go before being on the same planet as Ben Wallace

  • 4x NBA Defensive Player of the Year 
    • One of two players in NBA history to receive NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award 4 times (along with Dikembe Mutombo).
  • 6x All-NBA Defensive Team
  • 2x League Leading Rebounds
  • 1x League Leading Shot Blocker
  • Only player in NBA history to record 1,000 rebounds, 100 blocks, and 100 steals in 4 consecutive seasons
  • One of three players in NBA history to record 150 blocks and 100 steals in 7 consecutive seasons (2001–07) (along with Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson). 
  • One of three players in NBA history to average 15 rebounds and 3 blocks per game over a season (along with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bob McAdoo).
  • NBA 2k5 Cover Athlete
  • #3 Retired by the Pistons

Tristan Thompson Ben Wallace
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