Ausar Thompson scouting report: A defensive dark horse in the making
Ausar Thompson’s basketball incandescence brightened an otherwise dark Detroit Pistons season. On a dysfunctional Pistons basketball team, the fifth pick of the 2024 draft proved himself a future core piece. It can be tough to unearth silver linings from a season as poor as Detroit’s, but Thompson certainly looks like one, especially on the defensive end.
His counting stats don’t pop off the screen — 8.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.9 blocks on poor efficiency (52.2% true shooting percentage) won’t blow anyone away. Inept coaching decisions disrupted much of Thompson’s (and the rest of the team’s young pieces) offensive rhythm.
Some nights, Monty Williams featured Ausar as a core piece and others as an afterthought. It wasn’t a situation conducive to success for anyone, let alone a 20-year-old rookie.
Ausar Thompson scouting report
Peeking under the hood reveals one of the better defensive rookie wing seasons I’ve seen in quite some time. Ausar Thompson posted excellent defensive numbers; his +2.5 Defensive Estimated Plus-Minus placed him in the 97th percentile.
Among all qualifying perimeter players, only Alex Caruso, OG Anunoby, Dennis Smith Jr., Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Jalen Suggs and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander eclipsed Thompson’s D-EPM.
Thompson already creates turnovers and defensive events at an elite level. His block rate (3.1%) and steal rate (2.1%) were elite as a rookie. He’s a rare athlete with the vertical explosion, horizontal speed and change of direction skills to function in any defensive role asked of him, instrumental on a defensively challenged Pistons team.
Despite some typical rookie over-aggression, Thompson is an excellent off-ball defender. He’ll jump passing lanes for steals, dig out loose handles from the nail and fill in gaps with his superb speed and awareness. Thompson provides weak-side rim protection from the wing as well as on-ball shot-blocking.
Few players can shoot over Ausar Thompson, given his elite quickness, length and vertical pop. He blocks jumpers at a higher rate than most defenders. Shooters simply weren’t prepared for Thompson’s athletic abilities.
He’ll need to add more strength to guard bigger players better, but Thompson looked like a lethal point-of-attack defensive prospect. Thompson wrecks on and off ball screens, navigating traffic to defend pick and rolls and blow up off-the-ball actions.
There’s little to discuss or debate surrounding Thompson’s defense. Based on what we observed in year one, Thompson looks poised to contend for All-Defensive teams for years to come. The offensive end of the ball will remain contentious as he enters year two with plenty of improvement areas to consider.
Ausar Thompson shot a putrid 18.6% from deep last season on low volume (.235 three-point attempt rate) and 59.7% from the free-throw line. There doesn’t seem to be much hope for Thompson’s jumper on paper. He improved his comfort levels shooting on and off ball during his final season at Overtime Elite, but those improvements haven’t translated as of yet.
Defenses sag off of Thompson, daring him to beat them from the outside and clogging up the spacing. He’ll often sit in the dunker spot and play as a pseudo-big man, taking advantage of his superior interior skills. However, for Thompson to reach his ceiling as a perimeter player, the jumper must improve to a respectable. number
If there’s any reason for optimism surrounding the jumper, Thompson already creates and hits mid-range jumpers at a solid clip. He shot a solid 45.8% from 10-16 feet last year, evidence of some fledgling intermediate creation.
With Ausar Thompson’s incredible vertical leaping ability, he’ll rise over defenders to can jumpers even when they sag off. Ausar may continue to expand the range of his pull-up jumpers as he ages.
Outside of Thompson’s jump-shooting woes, there’s plenty of offensive promise as a slasher. His same athletic tools shine, working downhill, as defenders struggle to match his explosion. Thompson might lack the top-tier first step or handling creation to act as a primary ball-handler, but as a cutter, secondary driver, and roller, he’s lethal scoring around the hoop.
He’s a unique mover, sliding and gliding through defenses on the ground and mid-air. Thompson’s deceleration, stride length and ambitious finishing all point towards Thompson developing into a top-tier interior scorer. Playing off of Cade Cunningham should grant Thompson easy shots as they continue to gel, as Thompson’s athleticism and feel for the game is that of a quality play finisher.
He’s a strong enough passer to capitalize when defenses load up on Ausar Thompson at the bucket. Aside from basic ball moving and quick-hitting passes, Thompson flashed some higher-level passing goodness.
In particular, he’s skilled at passing with his weak left hand, showing he can toss dimes at seemingly impossible angles with both hands. As a secondary attacker off of the catch, Thompson makes plays attacking closeouts and runs basic secondary pick and rolls.
Ausar Thompson's offense decides his ultimate ceiling
Ausar Thompson’s level of shooting will ultimately determine his ceiling as an offensive player, as is the case for many young hyper athletes. If defenses can’t ignore Thompson on the perimeter, his athletic tools, skill and feel for the game all point toward a high offensive ceiling. The shot is the glue that holds it all in place.
After last season’s disaster, it’s difficult to fully gauge where Thompson lands as a player entering year two. The same can be said about many of Detroit’s young pieces. Hopefully, their new additions will stabilize the roster. JB Bickerstaff will massively upgrade the team’s coaching, even if he isn’t a world-beater.
While the future of the Pistons is far from settled, Thompson’s arrow points upwards. At the very least, he’ll continue to develop into the menacing defender we’ve already seen him be as a rookie.
And if everything breaks his way, it’s easy to imagine Ausar Thompson as a two-way star, leaning on his special defense and versatile offensive skillset. He’s among the talents to move a team’s needle closer to title contention, whether it is in Detroit or elsewhere.