Why Ausar Thompson of the Detroit Pistons is going to have a BREAKOUT SEASON in 2025-26!

I’m going to steal one from you now, as you so rudely did to me earlier. I’m going to pick Assar Thompson. I think Assar is going to have a massive season. I I think we’re talking like definitely making all defense. I think we’re talk if he stays like completely healthy and plays 65 games, I think we’re talking like 14 15 points a game, eight or nine rebounds, three or four assists in all defense, and like he is just an absolute savage. Okay, stop real quick. We we did Pistons player predict uh stat predictions on the Pistons Pulse a couple weeks ago. Can I give you my numbers because I think it’s funny based off what you just said. Okay, go ahead. 14 points, three and a half assists, seven rebounds, two steals, one block. That’s amazing. That’s so good. Yeah, I I think that we’re talking about like, you know, again, just a big leap. I mean, look, that would be like a 50% increase. 15 points a game would be like 50% increase on what he did last year. Um, you know, I think consistently he’s just going to keep cutting and attacking the basket and getting out in transition and being like an amazing partner for Kate Cunningham out on the break. And, you know, rebounding wise, like, you know, six rebounds as a rookie, five rebounds as a sophomore. I think we’re going to see that jump. I do. I I think we’re talking about a guy that’s going to absolutely crash the glass. And if I was them, if I was JB Bickerstaff, I would be telling like Jaylen Duran, we want you to box out so that Assar can crash in and get the rebound because we want to start the break quicker. We want Assar to get the ball so that you don’t have to catch the ball and then get it to like Kate or get it to Assar or get it to Jayen Ivy or Jaden Ivy or like whatever you want to do, right? like let Assar just get the ball and sprint down the court and start the break quicker to me and he’s like a great offensive rebounder obviously and everything too. So like yeah I think he is in for a big jump rebounding wise. Do you think that conversation with Jaylen Duran is easier if he has a contract or doesn’t have his extension locked in? Much easier if he has a contract. Okay, I I agree with you there. Like a solar can absolutely drive transition off the def. The reason my rebounds were a little bit lower was what you just said though. Like Jaylen Duran is a guy that rebounds really well. Kade’s actually a really really good defensive rebounder. Tobias is actually a good defensive rebounder um with what he has left. And so like that’s why I was a little bit lower. But there’s there’s going to be games where it’s 14 12 and then you know I think the he’s not going to shoot it from three this year. Like I I think to expect like that level of jump to be a real shooter I think is too much. But I I’m interested to see kind of like the decision making out of the short role. The decision- making as a pick and roll handler, you know, those type of things. Like how far can some of I don’t think he’s ever like a primary on ball guy. Um not to the level of men is, but how far can that stuff grow? Because that would go a long way, especially when you’re talking about a guy that’s a nonshooter right now. So, the last two years, Victor Wimyama is at a 5×5 game. Uh, there hadn’t been one in six or five years until Victor did one in 2024. I’m going to throw a men into this as well. I think one of the Thompson twins this year pops a 5×5 game. I can see it. There hasn’t here’s a fun one. There has not been a wing to have a five by five game since when, Bryce, when do you think the last one was? Um, 2007. [Music] So 2013 and Nick Batum did it. Batum in 2013. Before that, there had not been a 5×5 game in seven years back when Andre Kireno did it. And Kiereno did it three times. Kira Leno was just a savage. Uh, you know, kind of crashing the box score and, you know, continually hitting the box score in the way that he did. I think that one of the Thompson twins pops a 5×5 game. That’s my prediction. One of those two ends up getting one. And we’ll see which one it is. I think both of them could very easily do it honestly. And and for anybody who like when you just look at Assar raw stats, I just encourage you to quickly look at the minutes per game. I don’t know if it was truly a minutes restriction or whatever, but obviously there was something coming off the blood clots. He only played 22 and 1/2 minutes. And so like per 36, he’s not a 36-inute a game guy, but per 36, he averaged last year 168, 3 and a half, 2.7 steals, and 1.1 blocks. Now again, I don’t think he’s all of a sudden going to play 36, but if he’s closer to 28 to 30 a night, if he’s not closer to 28 to 30 tonight, I will be a night, I will be surprised uh this upcoming season. Yeah, I agree with you on that. I I think we’re talking big minutes increase and we’re talking a guy that makes all defense and is like right around like I said like 14 to 15, seven or eight rebounds, three to four assists, two steals a block and is just one of those dudes that you know makes that jump into, oh my god, this is like one of the big like impact winning players in the league right now. Uh much like his brother took that leap last season in my opinion. Yep. 100%. The only reason that Assar hasn’t taken that leap is probably the blood clot to be honest. Yeah. Like when he played last year, he was pretty freaking ridiculous by the end of the year. I thought like if if you look at his last, you know, what do we want to call it here? 33 games, you know, he was averaging like 12, six, and three because he was just playing 25 minutes as opposed to playing uh 22 minutes a night. So, I think that that’s a huge factor here as well. I think that Assar with more minutes is going to end up being a guy that like really impacts winning and takes a big leap in terms of awards and recognition and everything like that. Yeah, I love it. No, I mean, he he was obviously on my list here. Uh, not to be an all-star, but as you know, awards because of the all defense. [Music]

Sam Vecenie, a Senior NBA Writer at The Athletic, talks all about basketball. From the NBA, to the NBA Draft, to college hoops and even some high school, Vecenie has you covered in this show.

SIGN UP FOR BONUS NBA DRAFT FILM BREAKDOWNS & DISCUSSIONS ON SUBSTACK – https://gametheorysamv.substack.com/

Follow Sam:
Twitter – https://twitter.com/sam_vecenie
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/sam_vecenie/
TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@sam_vecenie

Follow Game Theory:
TWITTER – https://x.com/GameTheorySamV
INSTAGRAM – https://www.instagram.com/GameTheorySamV
TIKTOK -https://www.tiktok.com/GameTheorySamV
THREADS – https://www.threads.net/@gametheorysamv
BLUESKY – https://bsky.app/profile/gametheorysamv.bsky.social

Listen on Audio
Apple- https://bit.ly/3SpkHFJ
Spotify- https://bit.ly/3OvPvU2

1 comment
Leave a Reply