Much had been made, and justifiably so, about Cleveland’s offseason bounty. Between last April’s finale against Brooklyn and last Sunday’s preseason opener against Maccabi Tel Aviv, the Wine and Gold went from a team four years removed from the playoffs to an instant title contender. The Cavaliers added superstars and savvy veterans over the summer, and the average NBA experience of the squad’s newcomers is 10.25 seasons. Anderson Varejao, the lone holdover from LeBron James’ last run, is entering his 11th season. But for the rest of Cleveland’s incumbents, they’re just starting to scratch the surface. One of those young veterans is Tristan Thompson, now entering his fourth NBA season after being taken with the fourth overall pick in the 2011 Draft. And as far as time spent on the job, nobody during that four-year stretch has put in more time than Thompson, who comes into the 2014-15 campaign having played in 206 straight games. He’s started all 82 for the past two seasons and is just one of four players in the Eastern Conference – and the only Cavalier – to do so last year. Last year, Tristan averaged 11.7 points and 9.2 rebounds per contest. He turned in a career-high and team-leading 36 double-doubles – the most for a Cavalier since Drew Gooden almost a decade ago – and grabbed 269 boards off the offensive glass, fifth-best in the NBA. (The former Longhorn has also turned in the best single offensive-rebounding season in team history – grabbing 303 two seasons ago to top Zydrunas Ilgauskas’ mark set in 2004-05.) When Thompson first entered the league, his free throw shooting was a major concern. So all Thompson did last summer was switch hands and watch his percentage from the stripe improve from .608 to .693 (after shooting .522 in his first year).

Thompson has been durable. He’s been productive. He’s improved every year and staked a claim in the Cavalier history books. And after all that, he lost his starting spot at power forward.

But Tristan’s not complaining. He’s alright starting one spot over at center -- which he did in the final 28 games of his rookie season – or coming off the bench. He’s high-energy, low-maintenance. And after three solid outings through this October, he’s geared up to run his regular season streak to 207.

According to the roster, you went from 6-9 last year to 6-10 this season. Did you actually grow an inch over the summer?

Tristan Thompson: Yeah, I’m 6-10 now, about 245. I was doing that little thing on the doorway with the pencil to see if I was growing every day. So, I think I’m just developing into a man. I was a young pup when I first came here.

Besides getting taller, what did you work on this offseason? We’ve noticed that you’ve been flashing a hook-shot this preseason.

Thompson: This summer was a great summer. I continued working on my game, as always. Watching film, just seeing how I can help this team and be an asset to take our team to the next level.

You have to get better every year. You have to add tools to the toolbox every year. For bigs, we usually have three simple moves – and the hook-shot is one of those moves that’s a forgotten art. But it’s always been an effective move in our league.

Your natural position seems to be the 4, but you’ve never been opposed to sliding over to center?

Thompson: No, not at all. I think playing the 5 is an advantage for me. I’m much quicker than a lot of the other centers in our league. So, I’ll give them havoc and at the same time, I’ve got stronger over the summer where I can guard the 5’s and body up against them.

And if you look at it, our league is changing. You don’t really have the prototypical centers anymore – like the Shaqs, the Ewings, the Mutombos. Everyone’s more mobile and athletic, so a 4 or 5 in this league isn’t as big a difference.

Last year you admitted that the toughest guy in the league for you to check is Kevin Love. What’s it been like having him as a teammate?

Thompson: The great thing is that in practice we can go at each other every day and make each other better. We both have areas we want to work on in our game. He’s going to push me; I’m going to push him just as hard. We play with each other in the game but we go hard at each other in practice.

In past offensive systems, you’ve been a guy who’s been effective without having plays run for you. How are you fitting in to Coach Blatt’s system?

Thompson: As far as the offense, we’re all still trying to figure out where we operate best – and Coach Blatt is too. But for me, my set has always been “see ball, get ball” – just play hard and everything will just come off that. There’s going to be post-ups in the game, there’s going to be times where you’re going to take advantage of plays run for you. But it’s all based on the feel of the game.

David Blatt is your third head coach in four years. What are your thoughts so far?

Thompson: Coach Blatt’s been great! He comes with a worldly dynamic and I think that’s what our game has been lacking. He’s coached and played all over the world, so his perspective on the game of basketball is kind of different from most traditional NBA coaches. But at the same time, it makes it interesting and exciting.

What’s it been like, having LeBron James back in Cleveland?

Thompson: We’ve had a great relationship for a few years. And it’s just awesome to see one of the greatest players in our game come in every day, ready to work. He comes in every day and punches the clock like some young guy who’s just trying to make the team. And it just shows that if you’re willing to put that time and effort in, anything can happen.

When last season wrapped up, you were eager to go see other NBA teams in the Playoffs. Did that experience show you anything moving forward?

Thompson: I think it just showed me how important every possession is in the Playoffs. I watched Game 1 and Game 2 of the NBA Finals in San Antonio. And the thing about those games is that every possession counts, everything’s under a magnifying glass and that’s what you want. You want to be put in that position. I want to be there. And I can‘t wait to get this season started.