Ausar Thompson LEAP Coming for Detroit Pistons

Ausar Thompson LEAP Coming for Detroit Pistons

Okay, who’s next on your list, man? Another guy that I’m just like, why are we jumping the gun here a little bit? Um, I’m going to the same draft class, Maf. He was picked two picks later. Assar Thompson. Not that Thompson, the other one. Yeah, I think Amed may have already made that leap. Yeah, I think there’s another one there, but I I’m I’m excited for Asar this year. I think his is this year now. I thought Asar, he’s been a little buzz killed by some injury bugs. Um, which I think is always such important timing for like reps and stuff earlier on in your career. So, I think Assar is going to have a very big year because I think we’re going to start to see that jump happen. When he was drafted, when I evaluated him as a prospect, I thought he was just going to be a guy that might take a couple years before all of a sudden you’re like, “Woo, here we go. like I feel like we could see the amend jump from last year happen for Assar this year if he’s you know obviously if you’re healthy and right everything goes good but I I just feel like it’s it’s looming it’s it’s like oh you’re wait and see. Yeah. I know like all last year we we talked a ton about us and just the entire basketball world talked a ton about how the new structure and actual team building that was going on with in Detroit in terms of providing some actual shooters and floor spacing how crucial that was to Cade. It’s also crucial to Wasar because he he’s a he’s a nonshooter. I I never expect him to shoot, which I think is okay because he’s already showing so many different ways that he can contribute to winning basketball. The key though is that you can’t have four of him out on the court like they kind of tried to do or were constructing a team to do. Um, but when he’s the only non-shooter or, you know, one of two guys who aren’t spacing the floor, that’s enough because he’s so active, he’s so athletic, he’s so intelligent and just all the dirty work plays like doing the little things and he’s so freaking good at it. Like when we look at his defensive and rebounding numbers, block rate of 1.5, which ranked in the 96 percentile for wings, steel rate jumped from 1.9 to 3.1 last year, 98th percentile in for wings. uh offensive field goal or offensive rebounding on field goals 8.4% 4% 97th percentile defensive rebounding rate 13.7 in the 88th percentile. like the the dude gets after it and does the little stuff. But then having him crash the glass like that on both ends of the floor also allows you to on the offensive end obviously generate extra possessions but then on defensively initiate that break and get your young athletes out in space including him just so you can go get easy stuff and not have to worry about trying to hunt you know a contested three late in the shot clock. I’m sorry I’m looking at a stat right now. This might be this is incredible. So, his best month of the year was February. He almost averaged 12. He almost averaged 13, five, and four. How many three-pointers do you think he attempted in 12 games? Uh, two. Zero. Yeah. That’s incredible. But like you can I hate box chasing, but you could see the story of the injury impact from the splits throughout the year. Like everything went up as the year goes on. Um he started the year five 52 and three 86 and 1 85 and one then all of a sudden almost 135 and four have a down month of 10 five and two and then all of a sudden 12 almost seven and three so the shot I never thought was going to be a good sh I thought he was going to be this type of hopeful Andre Iguadala piece that just really can unlock some stuff but I think he has all defense upside. I’ve said that since the prospect since I saw him in person. I was like, “This kid has just instincts defensively. He could be really special.” So, I think this is the year where he’s going to unlock something with this game. I don’t know if it’s going to be like, man, things slow down defensively for Assar or if it’s just going to be he’s more productive, more consistent. But, um, yeah, I I think it’s a big year for the Pistons obviously after last year. And I think Assar’s hopefully going to be giving them a big boost that they didn’t have the start out last year. Yeah. And it’s I I I feel like I obviously the the defense is his calling card. It’s his thing, but with each year as the game slows down mentally for him and with that frame, with that athleticism, it’s going to be terrifying. like he’s already a menace on that end of the floor, but with another year of experience in with, you know, another year, the first year of being in consecutive systems with the same coaching staff there, there’s some like insanely scary like potential first team all defensive potential with him, with how chaotic he can create stuff. But that extra year of experience and slowing the game down mentally, it’s it’s like controlled chaos. It’s not just go cause havoc. It’s all right. Actually disrupt everything that the offense is trying to do because you’re one step ahead and know and you can already anticipate it because you’ve been through it already. That’s where it gets really fun on the defensive end. Offensively, I’m I’m intrigued to see what the leap is because I I I don’t think it’s going to be the shooting, but I’ve always liked his passing. um not as like a primary guy, but connecting because he’s so active and since he’s a non-shooter, defenders forget about him a lot on those back door cuts or offensive rebounds when he crashes the glass or just that constant movement. And if they incorporate him a little bit as a rim runner, I think that would be kind of fun if there’s some more like back cut into touch passes into to shooters or rollers. um you know some potential DHO stuff where he’s the initiator and kind of the the pseudo screener there with and we saw how deadly Duncan Robinson and Bam Adabio were like with those kind of actions in Miami. If they can recreate some of that, I think it’d be really fun. I I’m just really fascinated to see what he looks like offensively. Yeah, that’s the million-dollar question for me is where does the leap come offensively? Because I think you’re spot on. Like he I’ve always love I’ve always liked his passing a lot. I thought it was one of those like slept on like a man was the flashier passer as a prospect. I thought Assar was like the I’d love to play with Assar Thompson because he’s one of those like gets a defensive rebound and you’re running the floor, he finds you with the ball like the ball finds you. Um, Assar seems like he’s the perfect pickup teammate because he could cut back door, get you easy buckets, make you look good, or he’s going to get you the ball offensively and find you if you’re open. I don’t know. Like in my head, I’m like, well, do you try to get some him running some actions because he’s but I don’t know if the handle’s good enough there because like he is a talented passer. He has good feel, but I like him off the ball. Um maybe you try to get him the line more, but you know, shooting jokes will defensively. He’s the Terminator. He is a computer processing monster. Like, and it it’s scary if that takes another leap because he’s just that’s where he’s comfortable. People come down on offense and they’re just like, “All right, let’s go to work.” When you come back on defense, SAR’s like, “Let’s go to work.” That’s his that’s his bread and butter. So, um yeah, MVP, I don’t know. Offensively, it’s going to be really fascinating to see where where, you know, that Detroit coaching staff wants to kind of add a wrinkle with Assar’s game or or what he’s been working on, but they have a lot of guys there you want to have the ball in their hands. They also have a lot of guys there that you probably don’t want to have the ball in their hands just because that’s not their, you know, repertoire, if you want to put it that way. I’m use that word for a while. But what what would you want the most? Probably an increase in the passing and just Yeah. Well, it’s tough cuz I don’t know if I want him running the offense cuz cuz do I unless Cade’s out, but then you have you have like Caris Levert who can do some of that. You have Tobias Harris who can do a little bit of that. I would rather have the ball in their hands, not like as point guards, but I would rather have them initiating and then, you know, Marcus Sasser I still really like. I honestly it might just be improving as an at room finisher off of his cuts and um in transition because I and he’s he ranked in the 92nd percentile in transition frequency uh last year but just the 31st percentile in scoring and then on cuts the 84th percentile in frequency but just the um 48th percentile in scoring. So being a little upping the efficiency in those because based on last year with Cade and him proving it’s like no he’s he’s the dude. I have to imagine the defensive attention is only going to increase with him and he’s only going to draw more eyes. And then you have another D, you know, veteran dynamic wing creator and scorer and Caris Lever joining the team as well. I think there are going to be a lot of opportunities for him to be super active off ball and cutting back door. Um, and if you can, I think, incorporate him as a potential screener in a lot of those situations as well, where he’s not just standing in the corner having to crash and create his own out of broken plays or stuff like that, but then incorporating him a little more directly in the action, but not as the ball handler. I think there’s some upside with that because it wouldn’t shock me if you know defenders of similar size try and blitz Cade out of a a Cade Assar pick and roll and now Asar’s slipping down the middle of the lane unoccupied. Um and anytime you get him going downhill wi with a lane, fun things tend to happen. So maybe we need to I’m looking at a SARS offensive and defensive percentiles. And I know how you feel about, you know, the defensive ones, but um it’s bad. Maybe we just need to give him the nickname two face because they’re just complete opposites. Like one’s outstanding and one’s just like look, I’ll close out the window fan. I don’t need to look at. But you know, that’s how special of a talent he is. I think you just have to find something he can consistently be uh an impactful piece on the offensive side. Then that takes his game to another stratosphere. You just got to find his what what can he make what can have like his groove offensively. Um because it’s you know obviously you know how good he is defensively, but you don’t want to have him out there and be like, man, he’s he’s hurting us on that side of the ball because he’s he’s not hurting you on the other side. Yeah. And if there’s no offensive growth from him, then it just makes the the conundrum of playing him and Ron Holland together even more impossible. Unless, you know, obviously Ron in turn has some major offensive leap, which he could if he shoots it like he did at summer league. Yeah. Jesus. Hope hopefully that’d be fun because if you get both of them on the floor at the same time um and you have at least one of them as a reliable spot-up shooter, that defense is going to be insane. Yeah. And shout out to Ron. I mean, you’re Pistons fans should be pumped. You’re you’re hoping you get potentially two very valuable assets to take a step forward this year in your rotation with Assar and Ron Holland. But I think Assar is just I think that step could be gigantic.

Tyler Metcalf & Tyler Rucker talk about why they believe Detroit Pistons wing Ausar Thompson could be a breakout player during the 2025-26 NBA season

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