Watch: Ausar Thompson catches a body as he detonates over Myles Turner for 2-handed slam
The Detroit Pistons have had a rough start to the season, but the silver lining is their rookie Ausar Thompson, who continues to make noise. In the recent rookie rankings, he has been placed No. 3 behind Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren with his intangibles and all-around play.
The Pistons are still looking for a victory in the month of November and their last NBA In-Season Tournament game is against the Indiana Pacers.
In just the first two minutes of the game, Jaden Ivey found himself attracting a double team while getting a pick from Marvin Bagley III. He found Ausar Thompson by the elbow three and got to work immediately.
Seeing an open lane to the hoop, Myles Turner, who led the league twice in blocks back in 2019 and 2021, challenged the rookie by getting up to swat away the shot. However, Ausar Thompson's springs were enough to give him the lift he needed as he used two hands, pivoting a little to the left, before slamming the ball through the hoop:
"This is an assault on the rim. And maybe some contact there," said Gregory Kelser, the Pistons broadcast analyst and former NBA player.
Draymond Green praises Ausar Thompson after getting less attention from the media
With the attention focused on rookie studs Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren, Draymond Green found time while serving his five-game suspension to go on social media to give props to Ausar Thompson.
The four-time NBA champion and former Michigan State Spartan has been monitoring Thompson's progress. He wants the No. 5 pick in the 2023 NBA draft to get some attention for his stellar play:
“Ausar Thompson averaging 10 rebounds and almost 2 blocks per game is not being talked about enough. That’s wild! Let me guess though… it’s not points, so it doesn’t matter?”
So far, the Overtime Elite standout has been averaging 11.1 points, 10.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.7 blocks per game. Green got a good look at Thompson when they battled them on Nov. 6, where the rookie tallied 16 points, seven rebounds, four blocks and two steals.
Draymond Green is set to return from his suspension when the Golden State Warriors take on the Sacramento Kings at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Nov. 28. He has averaged 8.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.7 assists in nine games so far this season.