Pistons: Can Ausar Thompson Take Offensive Leap Necessary To Keep Detroit In The Playoffs?

During the first three games of the playoffs, the Detroit Pistons have been outworked by the Orlando Magic in terms of physicality in the paint, which is an aberration for a Motor City squad that takes pride in their intensity. The Magic have worked to effectively neutralize All-Star center Jalen Duren in the low post, which has taken away the Pistons’ secondary scorer at a pivotal time in the postseason. 

With Duren’s effectiveness severely hampered to this point, Cade Cunningham has taken the offensive impetus upon himself with a 39-point outing in game one and consecutive 27-point performances in games two and three. But even with Cunningham hunting for his shot on a more regular basis, the Pistons have still struggled to combat Orlando’s defensive gameplan and are currently trying to make up a 2-1 deficit. 

During game three, Pistons forward Ausar Thompson had his most assertive game as a scorer and playmaker with 17 points, eight rebounds and three assists, which should have boosted Detroit’s chances on paper, but the squad suffered another 113-105 loss to the Magic on the road. 

“I feel like the whole game we were playing from behind,” Thompson said after the game. “We let them get the lead to 10 a bunch of times, similar to game one, so just coming out with that intensity, not being in catch-up mode. I think that’s what we’re trying to do.”

On the defensive end, Thompson lived up to his billing as a Defensive Player of the Year finalist with five blocks and two steals against the Magic in a performance that highlights the delicate balancing act of blending smart basketball with intense pressure that Ausar carries out on a nightly basis. 

“You gotta be aggressive, but you have to be smart at the same time,” Thompson said. “We practice some of these passes, we’ve been having a lot of turnovers this series, but that’s not us. We know we need to be better on that end, but we still need to maintain aggression and not let a turnover make us second-guess ourselves.”

From a stylistic standpoint, the Magic went to the free throw line more than any team in the NBA during the regular season, so the Pistons were well aware that the ref’s whistle could play an impactful role during their first round series. During game one, the Pistons actually went to the charity stripe twice as often as the Magic, but Orlando has held an advantage of at least eight free throws in each of the last two games. 

“We have to trust ourselves and trust our team that we could guard without fouling,” Thompson said. “We don’t need to put them to the line and we can make them make tough shots and live with if they make those tough shots. But if we foul them, that’s just a lot of opportunities to score with a free shot, so we’ve just got to be better on that end and we will be.”

Here is a chart from the Dynatyze staff that clearly illustrates just how impactful AT has managed to be from his wing position on defense: 

But for the Pistons to tilt the series back in their favor, Detroit needs to take a game on the road while they’re down in Orlando for game four. With Duren struggling to score down low, Thompson could serve as an unexpected boost to the Pistons’ attack if they continue to put the third-year wing in positions to make plays with the basketball in his hands.

The Pistons will have another chance to even the series tomorrow night on Monday, April 27 at 8 pm.

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