Ausar Thompson shared a comedic story during a recent podcast interview

Now entering his third season as a pro, Detroit Pistons forward Ausar Thompson is making a name for himself across the league. Thus far, Thompson has acquitted himself well as a staunch defender and an aggressive rebounder, but the 6-7, 215-pounder has other facets of his game that deserve respect as well.

From an offensive perspective, Thompson crashes the offensive glass with tenacity, and this trait has led to relatively easy put-backs for the third-year NBA forward. And while he’s still developing his skill set as a ball handler and distributor, Thompson has improved by a considerable margin since the dawn of his Pistons career. 

Thompson’s albeit short time in the league has not been all smooth sailing, however, In particular, there was a specific sequence of events during his 16th game as a professional that left an indelible impression on the 22-year old’s memory. Thompson spoke at length about this moment during a recent appearance on the ‘Young Man and the Three’ podcast.

“I would say my welcome to the league moment was, I’m going to just say it, when we were playing Indiana,” Thompson said. “I don’t know what game it was. First of all, let me say this first, I went down the lane and I dunked on Myles Turner, right? So, we come back probably a couple plays later, then Haliburton makes me fall and then hits a three. Then he skipped down the court, and that made me [say], man, what a moment.”

The Pistons trailed by 10 after that exchange, and Indiana would ultimately go on to win by 23 points with a 136-113 final score. Thompson posted eight points, six rebounds, three assists and two blocks in the contest, but his versatile effort was largely overshadowed by the Haliburton crossover highlight.

What does Thompson expect from the Pistons this season?

In terms of his expectations for Detroit ahead of the 2025-26 season, Thompson is optimistic about the team’s roster construction and shared a positive report on how the summer offseason period has transpired.

“Every year I play basketball, I want to win a championship,” Thompson said. “That’s my goal every year, and I think that’ll be my goal until I don’t play. I feel like what’s the point if you’re not trying to win it all, you know what I’m saying? Even if you don’t do it, at least you tried and you can live with that. So, I feel like the additions we got this year will bring us a step closer. I’ve seen everybody three times this summer already for a week period and how we’ve worked and we’ve gotten better. I’m excited.”

Last season, the Pistons completed a remarkable 30-win turnaround to slide into the playoffs, though the squad was bounced from the first round of the NBA Playoffs by the New York Knicks. Thompson hopes to improve on that effort when the Pistons take the court on Wednesday, Oct. 22 against the Chicago Bulls. 

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