Detroit Pistons: Duren Labels Ausar Thompson A ‘Gym Rat’ After Big Comeback Win

Although the Detroit Pistons trailed the Boston Celtics by more than 20 at one point on Opening Day, the home team’s 121-113 win felt very akin to numerous Pistons victories from a season ago. 

Yes, the Pistons were guilty of giving up 38 points to Paul George in his Celtics debut, but that was an informed decision Detroit made in order to stifle Jayson Tatum all night long. The Pistons deployed Ausar Thompson to frustrate, disrupt and harass Tatum in the season opener, and the fourth-year wing hit all three of those objectives in Detroit’s big comeback. 

From an offensive perspective, Tatum went 6-for-23 from the field on the night for just 13 points, but some of his misses clanged off the backboard like it was a battering ram. Thompson held Tatum off the scoresheet from long-range on all seven of his three-point attempts, which put a disproportionate amount of pressure on George in his first game wearing the green and white. 

So far in his career, Thompson’s become synonymous with on-ball defensive pressure around the perimeter, but the All-Defensive First Team player paired that defense with a double-double performance against the Celtics, posting 11 points and 11 rebounds on the night. Throughout the comeback, Thompson had several highlight-level plays, such as his 360-degree lay-up in the second quarter. Not long before that, AT ran the transition and found John Collins near the hoop for a quick bucket on the break in the first quarter, so the Pistons received a two-way boost from Thompson at key moments. 

“AT has been working his tail off, just over the years he’s put in so much work,” Pistons center Jalen Duren said of Thompson after the game. “He’s a gym rat. He’s a guy who just consistently wants to get better. He’s a guy who loves the game, so I’m not surprised about his progression. I think he’ll only continue to get better.”

While Thompson had an encouraging all-around performance against Boston, not all was perfect for the dynamic defender. Much like in the playoffs last season, Thompson held the ball near the perimeter at one juncture without the Celtics bothering to guard him. Rather than taking the open jumper, Thompson shied away from the clean look and recycled the ball to one of his teammates for a different shot. 

But on the bright side, Thompson might have saved his brightest moment for last. With less than a minute remaining and the Pistons ahead by four, Thompson drilled into the lane with Neemias Queta in pursuit. AT caught Queta in the air on a pump-fake, then elevated over top to hit a tough jumper in the lane during an objectively clutch moment.

“[Thompson] does so much for us that might not even show up on the stat sheet, but he is so, so valuable for our team because we put him in so many different positions and have him guard so many different positions and do different things on offense,” Duren said. “He never complains. He just picks it up and goes with it.”

Being adaptable is a quality that Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff covets, and it’s a quality that Thompson exudes in spades. On Tuesday afternoon, the Pistons needed Thompson’s influence on both ends of the floor to squeak by the Celtics, so perhaps there’s a fourth-year offensive leap in store for the rest of the 2026-27 campaign. 

But for now, the Pistons are 1-0 this season with a couple days off before heading down to Florida for an 8 pm matchup with the Miami Heat on Friday, Oct. 23.