The Detroit Pistons still need another step forward from Ausar Thompson this offseason
During the 2025-26 campaign, the Detroit Pistons established themselves as a dangerous team early on through their tough, physical defense and relentless energy once turnovers were turned into transition breaks. As a third-year starter, Ausar Thompson was at the helm of that defensive emphasis, and the dynamic wing helped set the defense-first tone that the Pistons turned into 60 wins, the top seed in the East and a second round playoff appearance.
In the modern NBA, it can be difficult to make an impact defensively for players that aren’t centers, but Thompson found a way to swing the balance in Detroit’s favor from the point of attack. Along the way, Thompson used his length, quick-trigger burst and defensive instincts to win multiple Defensive Player of the Month awards in the East last season, so he not only reached a new level of tenacious defense but kept up that level all throughout the campaign.
As a whole, Thompson finished No. 3 for Defensive Player of the Year, standing on the podium behind a pair of centers from the Western Conference, but defense has never been an issue for AT. Instead, the Pistons really need an offensive leap from the versatile point forward entering his fourth year in order for Detroit to take a step forward as a contender coming out of the East.
Last season, Thompson scored just under 10 points with 5.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game, but that output comes with the understanding that he’s using the majority of his effort on defense. That became an issue in the postseason when the Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers would sag off AT on the perimeter because they didn’t view him as a scoring threat when left open from that part of the court, and the Pistons needed to establish a dangerous scoring unit one through five.
A year ago, Thompson only connected on his three-point attempts at a 25% rate, so there is a clear area where he can improve at. Thompson has never positioned himself as a dangerous shooter and his free throw rate even fell 7% last season, but his brother on the Houston Rockets, Amen, is continuing to grow in ball-dominant situations, so the growth is still possible.
But unlike in Detroit, the Rockets have used Amen to set up their offense and have entrusted him with the keys to their squad early on, whereas the Pistons have leaned on Cade Cunningham for the wealth of their offense-initiating looks so far. Still, Thompson has the skill set to contribute positively on offense whether it’s from back-door cuts or shaking his defender to elevate for a mid-range shot, but the Pistons need to make his offense growth a point of emphasis this season like they did with Jalen Duren a year ago and the group as a whole would be better off for it.
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