The Detroit Pistons secured a clutch 113-110 win over the Los Angeles Lakers last night thanks in part to Ausar Thompson’s smothering defense
Last night, Detroit Pistons forward Ausar Thompson drew one of the toughest defensive assignments in the NBA with Luka Doncic in near-peak form over the past week and a half. Doncic was fresh off recent 60-point and 40-point performances, so the Lakers’ MVP candidate presented a difficult challenge for Thompson during the cross-conference battle, but Ausar responded with one of his most impressive showings of the season.
In a heavy 36-minute workload, Thompson fought through screens to stick with Doncic all game long, and the third-year forward heavily impacted Luka’s otherwise clean shot selection. In seven instances as a primary defender, Thompson only allowed one bucket against the Lakers to go along with two stocks to help the Pistons secure a clutch 113-110 win.
Doncic still went off for his standard 32-point production, but the Slovenian was forced to hunt mismatches away from Thompson when going about his offensive business on Monday, which can be considered a victory in itself when taking Luka’s offensive skill set into account.
“I think, again, Ausar is one of the best defenders in our league in so many different ways,” Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said after the game. “He can take a one-on-one challenge and make it a living hell for people. I thought tonight he was fabulous in his discipline, defending those guys without fouling, keeping them off the free throw line, forcing them to take 29 shots. That’s the job that he’s challenged with, and every night he goes out and he does it. But it’s never just a one-on-one thing. And that’s the focus, our system is based on guys’ strengths, but those strengths are always supported by their teammates. I thought those guys did a great job.”
During the second half of the season, Thompson has posted multiple six and seven-steal games in an effort to pad his resume for the NBA’s All-Defensive teams, but he’s done so while working within the confines of Bickerstaff’s defensive system in Detroit. The Pistons know that Thompson’s quickness and basketball IQ lead to turnovers more often than not, so they’re comfortable accepting a couple burned coverages per game in order to keep Ausar active in his ball-hawking role.
That’s one of the advantages to playing veterans like Tobias Harris and Duncan Robinson alongside young, still-developing players such as Thompson. Both veterans are experienced enough to recognize when they need to switch in Detroit’s rotation, and that wherewithal allows for Thompson to gamble on steals when the opportunity presents itself.
Bickerstaff has praised Thompson as a player who seems like he’s in six places at once on defense, and that’s a credit to the freedom that the Pistons allow AT to play with.
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