DETROIT — Ausar Thompson studied the Detroit Pistons’ playoff series against the New York Knicks quite a lot during the offseason.
In his first postseason experience, there was a lot to learn from as Thompson took on the primary defensive assignment for star Knicks guard Jalen Brunson. He gave him some real challenges in Game 5, but didn’t exactly lock him down in a series where Brunson averaged 31.5 points and 8.2 assists on 44% shooting.
Some 10 months later, Thompson had Brunson in limbo for 24 minutes Friday night as he was a driving force behind the Pistons’ lopsided win over the Knicks where the three-time NBA All-Star was held to a season-low 20% shooting (4-of-20) and just 12 points.
It was Brunson’s lowest shooting percentage in a game where he played at least 10 minutes since Nov. 2023 as the Knicks’ 80 total points were their fewest since March 2024.
There’s something special about how Thompson can attach himself at the hip to a player and take them out of a game. But it’s starting to become commonplace for the Pistons’ rising defensive star.
“He did an amazing job from the get of picking him up, dogging him, harassing him, wearing him down and then doing all that without sending him to the free-throw line,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said postgame. “Making him take tough shots over the top of us.”
Thompson isn’t catching anyone by surprise in his third NBA season. He was just named Eastern Conference Defensive Player of the Month and is making his case as an All-Defensive Team and perhaps Defensive Player of the Year candidate, ranking third in the NBA in steals, fourth in deflections and a defended field goal percentage of 37.8% on shots from greater than 15 feet.
Defense is a team effort for the Pistons as shown by Thompson also being able to hand the reins to Ron Holland after he’s successfully worn down a player like Brunson.
It means even elite players can’t dig too far into extended minutes when Thompson is resting because there’s another energetic defender ready to take over.
But that stems from Thompson being physical, aggressive and downright stingy toward an opposing ball handler.
“It’s special. It takes a lot of pressure off the rest of the defense and it allows us to be good behind him,” Cade Cunningham said of Thompson’s play. “I think he loves that challenge of taking somebody out of the game and really locking him up. There’s nobody else that I’d rather have and that’s being completely honest. Every single night he’s coming with it, he’s tough as nails.”
On a night like Friday, numbers can get lost in the shuffle when Thompson ends up with three blocks and two steals to just two points. But his constant contesting of shots and willingness to put his body in the way has as big of an impact as any of the top scorers on the team.
Thompson won’t let the fact that this was against Brunson and the Knicks stay with him too much. Even with a budding rivalry between the teams, Thompson’s focus is on making sure the Pistons are shutting down opposing defenses like that on a regular basis.
“Every time we do something like this, it feels great,” Thompson said. “I know they got us in the playoffs. It’s good to get the win, but it doesn’t feel too different, to be honest.”
Getting the first two wins over New York means the Pistons will take the regular-season series, but there’s another matchup in New York on Feb. 19.
Thompson says he doesn’t get more pleasure out of beating the Knicks, but going on the road to an Eastern Conference competitor and trying to lockdown their star player again, seemingly, won’t get old.