Ausar Thompson has quickly become one of the league’s premier defenders for the Pistons, a feat which didn’t happen by accident — it came about through work and film study, writes Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press (subscriber link).
Sanfoka writes that after games, Thompson can be found in the locker room, still in uniform, watching film from the game that just concluded.
“I watch it the next day too, but I watch it immediately after to see, I don’t know. It’s close to the game,” Thompson said earlier in the year. “You still feel the emotions of the game, the one I just played. And it’s easier to remember stuff that happened.”
Sanfoka notes that the habit often means the rest of the team has already showered, dressed, and gotten ready to leave while he continues to study up.
“Right after the game he wants to watch the whole game,” Cade Cunningham said. “*We’re trying to get on the plane. I think that’s where a lot of the teasing comes from… He has to see the highest-level scorers every night. Takes his job seriously. That’s what you want from your primary defender like that.*“
The attention to detail will quite possibly result in an All-Defense selection for the 23-year-old wing, who is in the 99th percentile in wing steal percentage and the 96th percentile in block rate.
We have more from around the Central Division:
Rob Dillingham has played 22 straight games for the Bulls since being acquired in the Ayo Dosunmudeal with the Wolves, but that doesn’t mean he feels at ease with his long-term status with the team, Joe Cowley writes for the Chicago Sun-Times. “It’s a good feeling that I’m getting the opportunity, but I don’t feel comfortable at all,” Dillingham said. “I don’t feel like I’ve proven anything, so my goal is just to help us win, help us get better, be the best I can be.”The Bulls will have plenty of decisions to make regarding the many young guards on the roster, and Dillingham is hoping to prove that he’s someone worth investing in.
Leonard Miller went from fringe rotation player with the Wolves to valued contributor with the Bulls nearly overnight, a role change that has been welcomed but full of challenges, Julia Poe writes for the Chicago Tribune. “This has never happened for me before,” Miller said. “But I just knew — like, I wanted to carve out a role with this group. So it’s new, but at the same time it doesn’t feel like anything crazy. This is what I’m born to do.” Over his last 10 games, Miller has averaged 13.1 points and 7.0 rebounds in 26.5 minutes per game. He credits teammate Matas Buzelis, whom he played with on the G League Ignite, for helping him acclimate to the new environment.
Isaiah Stewart took an important step forward in his calf strain recovery, getting cleared to resume on-court basketball activities for the Pistons, writes Coty M. Davis for The Detroit News. “He’s progressing,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “It is something that we will take our time with, making sure he is right with the timing of everything. Every day when he takes a step, we evaluate and take another step the next day.” There’s still no set timetable for his return, and the absence likely means that the defensive-minded big man will miss out on All-Defense eligibility.