Under the Hood - it’s time to see what’s really going on inside this Pistons team.
This is going to be a longer breakdown, but I promise it’s worth it.
Ausar Thompson has faced some criticism on social media recently, and it may be warranted. Over the last six games, he’s averaging 10 points, five rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block in 25 minutes per game. Not bad, but he’s shooting 48% from the field, 0% from deep, and 59% from the line.
The percentages are bad, even if his recent free throw percentage is higher than his 55% on the season.
While watching yesterday’s afternoon battle with Cleveland, I noticed plenty of possessions that displayed the good and the bad of Ausar Thompson.
In 22 minutes of play against the Cavs, Ausar finished with eight points, eight rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block while shooting 4-for-9 from the field and 0-for-1 from deep.
Firing on All Cylinders
We all know the main reason Ausar is a starting-level forward in the NBA: he’s a defensive freak.
It’s his offensive game where there’s so much room for growth, yet he still finds ways to make an impact on that end. This part of his game is still a work in progress, but he is capable of creating shots for himself.
I can complain about the spacing on that possession, but we’ll save that for the second section. He’s still capable of making plays when the spacing isn’t great due to his passing ability. He’s the sole reason Stew was able to get an open layup on this one.
And when the spacing is great, he’s going to make the correct read to find the open man.
He’s best offensively when he’s given a downhill start towards the rim. That means using him as a roller or finding him on cuts - both of which he’s great at.
Transmission Trouble
Now we get into the part that makes Ausar so polarizing: he is a non-shooter. He’s currently shooting a career-high 28% from deep this season on a career-low 0.6 attempts per game.
I’m not sure which Cleveland defender is supposed to be guarding Ausar here, or if they’re in a zone, but Thompson goes from having an open three-pointer from the wing to getting stuffed at the rim by Evan Mobley. Frankly, we probably don’t want Ausar shooting threes if the opposing defense is willing to leave him open, but Cleveland certainly can’t defend that way if Ausar was a threat from deep.
I have a thousand complaints about this next possession:
Paul Reed and Duncan Robinson start in the same corner, so Duncan tells Paul to go to the opposite corner in the middle of a Cade/Stew pick-and-roll where Paul’s defender is then able to sit under the basket
Cade should’ve realized this beforehand and made sure everyone was spaced out before starting the pick-and-roll
Because Ausar cannot shoot, Sam Merrill has two feet in the paint to help on Stew rolling to the basket
When Ausar starts his drive, there are four Cleveland defenders with at least a foot in the paint, and Stew is posting up (?) in the middle of the lane, so this is a terrible drive with absolutely no spacing - mostly due to Detroit’s own fault
This standing layup against three Cavs defenders is just a terrible idea, though, Duncan Robinson is really the only Pistons player relocating along the three-point line to give Ausar an option to kick the ball out.
Mechanic’s Note
Last, even JB Bickerstaff seems to notice Ausar’s offensive limitations. Ausar wasn’t exactly a player JBB chose to close with as he subbed him out at 4:41 in the fourth quarter to run a lineup of Daniss/Cade/Duncan/Green/Stew.
JBB subbed Thompson back in for a defensive possession with 54 seconds left after a Detroit turnover, and Stew put on a DPOY masterclass on Donovan Mitchell.
On the ensuing offensive possession, Ausar is out there with no opportunity to sub Duncan back in, yet Ausar is able to tip-in Jenkins’ missed jumper for the dagger and game-winner over Cleveland - something Duncan Robinson definitely wouldn’t have done.
All this to say, this is why I find Ausar to be such a unique young player in this league. He has plenty of offensive limitations, and in my wishes for Detroit to be more of three-point shooting team, he’s not going to contribute there.
But he’s contributing on offense in his own ways. You can see the potential as a secondary playmaker with his ability to process defenses and make the right pass, but I also notice how his inability to shoot affects the spacing of the other four Detroit players on the court.
Because of these limitations, you have to play the Power Foward version of Duncan Robinson next to him. I believe you would need two defined shooters, one at SG and one at PF, to really make up for the lack of shooting that Ausar brings to the floor - especially when he’s sharing the court with Duren.
The starting frontcourt yesterday was Ausar, Stew, and Reed due to the injuries to Tobias Harris and Jalen Duren. Those three combined to shoot 0-for-3 from deep in 73 total minutes of play - that level of frontcourt spacing is not going to get it done in the playoffs.
I expect Trajan Langdon to address their lack of three-point shooting at the trade deadline.