Jeff Teague: Detroit Pistons’ Ausar Thompson Has Elite, Irreplaceable Athleticism

As the NBA offseason continues to tick along, the league has released more information about its regular season schedule day-by-day. Just yesterday, the Detroit Pistons’ NBA Cup itinerary was released to the public, and the Motown squad was also included for the league’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day quadruple-header. Later today, the NBA will release the regular season schedule in full, but it is important to keep in mind what changes have taken place in Detroit in order to reach this point. 

After a two-round playoff stretch where the Pistons struggled to score outside of Cade Cunningham, the team responded by going in a more perimeter-oriented direction with a fleet of three-point marksmen arriving in Motown this summer. Now, Duncan Robinson will have some assistance from beyond the arc, but the team still strives to maintain their status as a hard-nosed, defensively stout unit, so don’t expect the team’s demeanor to shift too much. 

Last year, Ausar Thompson really grew into his own as a third-year perimeter defender who was tenacious, instinctive and chaotic when guarding at the point of attack, so much so that AT finished in third place for the Defensive Player of the Year award. In fact, Thompson walked away as the Eastern Conference’s Defensive Player of the Month on two separate occasions en route to leading the NBA in steals, so the Pistons clearly have an elite defensive talent on their hands. 

Now that Thompson is about to enter his fourth season in the pros, the Pistons will likely work on a long-term extension during the summer. Detroit is able to extend his rookie deal right up until the first day of the regular season, so there’s just over two months remaining to strike an agreement, but that negotiation has likely been impacted by the duration of the Pistons’ contract discussions with Jalen Duren. 

Ideally, the Pistons would have liked to have signed JD to a long-term deal shortly after free agency opened, but the teams haven’t been able to meet in the middle in terms of valuation just yet. Realistically, Detroit needs to sort out that situation first before working out a new contract with Thompson, so the next several weeks will be crucial in accomplishing these goals according to the timeline. 

With regards to the value that each Duren and Thompson bring, 12-year NBA vet Jeff Teague spoke about their development on the Club 520 podcast. 

”The big is back, so I’m assuming you can find some bigs that’s doing what Jalen Duren does,” Teague said. “He’s a really good player, no disrespect to him. He’s still a max player to me, but Ausar Thompson, you’re not going to find a wing that can defend and move and the athleticism that he’s got right now, you’re not finding that no where. And someone who wants to play defense? Nah.”

Last season, Thompson averaged 9.9 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, but much of his impact occurs on the defensive side of the court where he locks down the opposing team’s top scorer on a nightly basis. Although it hasn’t happened yet, Thompson can theoretically focus more on his shooting as his career progresses so that he’s more efficient as a scorer down the line, but his defensive ability is second to none on the perimeter in the NBA right now. 

This year, look for the Pistons to continue testing out Thompson’s ability as an on-ball playmaker when Cunningham is off the floor. Detroit tinkered with that wrinkle more in the early season and strayed away from it as the campaign progressed, but AT has the skill set to grow into an even more dynamic piece of the Pistons’ squad. 

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