It wasn’t too long ago that Jason Thompson was a regular starter in the NBA. In the 7 seasons that Thompson spent with the Sacramento Kings, he started a total of 405 games. In the 541 appearances that he made with the purple and white, he averaged 9.4 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.
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But since Thompson left the Sacramento franchise, he hasn’t seen much time on the hardwood. Last season Thompson played with two different teams, the Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors.
During that stretch, the 6’11” power forward only played a total of 47 games while averaging 3.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 10 minutes per contest.
Although Thompson was able to experience the playoffs for the first time in his career (with the Raptors), the consequence, however, was that he played a very limited role for his teams.
As a result, Thompson wasn’t able to mutually agree to a contract with any NBA team this offseason, and now the once regular starter for the Kings is heading to China to continue his professional basketball career.
It was reported a couple of days ago by David Pick, Pro Basketball reporter, that Thompson has signed a contract with the Shandong Golden Stars, a Chinese professional basketball team.
Source: NBA veteran Jason Thompson, split last season with Warriors and Raptors, finalized a deal in China with Shandong.
— David Pick (@IAmDPick) August 29, 2016
Rafe’s Thoughts
I never thought Thompson was a legit NBA starter, but I did think there was a spot for him on at least one NBA team.
His game is based on the traditional NBA big, a player that can score in the paint and rebound the basketball at a decent rate. The role for these type of players isn’t as significant as it was in previous years, but still, a role that is necessary for any team.
Thompson also displayed a tenacious level of effort when he played, which in my opinion is an attractive quality to look for in players, so it is surprising to me that not one team was willing to take a chance on the former first-round pick.
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Whether Thompson will find his way back to the NBA is uncertain, but for now, I wish nothing but the best for you, Jason. You still are at this time the longest tenured player to wear a Sacramento Kings uniform.