You Don't Know Ausar Thompson, and That's Okay

Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images

Image: Arturo Holmes/Getty Images

The draft has come and gone, all the smokescreens, rumors, and discourse is finally over. Ausar Thompson became the latest top pick for the Detroit Pistons. And before you comment, yes, I did have the Pistons selecting Jarace Walker. However, as I mentioned in the last video every prospect was fairly close, and second on my list was indeed Ausar Thompson. It was a growing feeling amongst the Pistons community leading up to Thursday’s draft, that Ausar was likely a Piston. 

But first, we got some things to talk about.

It seems like, browsing through Pistons’ social media, that a certain section of fans are incredibly unhappy with the selection. There seemed to be a lot of fanfare for prospects Cam Whitmore and Taylor Hendricks. And honestly, I can understand this perspective, even though I don’t agree with it. But let me try to reason with that crowd for a little bit. 

If I am to hypothesize, a lot of this crowd isn’t incredibly familiar with Ausar’s game. And that’s okay, OTE isn’t as popular as the NCAA or even the NBA G-League, and most people probably aren’t watching. And that’s okay.

And if I’m to take another guess, most of what you’ve heard about the twins, and about OTE is through Twitter. You hear how Amen and Ausar can’t shoot, how OTE isn’t the same comp as NCAA. Maybe some of these concerns stem from the fans' contempt for former Pistons' Head Coach candidate, Kevin Ollie. Regardless, I’m here to tell you, most of these critiques are incredibly overblown. 

Let me tell you who Ausar, XLNC (which is short for excellence, by the way) Thompson is.

Ausar Thompson is an elite athlete. His brother Amen gets all the hype in this regard that people forget his identical twin is a hell of an athlete as well. He gets to the rim at will, his pace is meticulous, and his vision is incredibly underrated. Auasr also improved as a shooter in his time at OTE, specifically towards the end of the season heading into the playoffs. His brother Amen has serious concerns about his jumper that are less pressing due to his rim pressure, but is a weak shooter. I don’t believe this will be the case with Ausar. He’s shown the ability to get to his spots in the mid-range, shown the ability to catch and shoot, and his ability to create separation is enticing. His off-ball ability is a seamless fit next to Cunningham and Ivey, he is always moving and is a pogo-stick around the rim. For a wing his size, he creates second-chance opportunities like a big. The shooting is something I believe in coming along and there is a legitimate reason to believe he becomes a solid-respectable shooter in the NBA. This is something that will come along, and it’s hard to project his shooting ability in the immediate future, but I absolutely expect Ausar to make an impact on the offensive end on day one.

But when talking about Ausar as a prospect it is impossible to ignore the defensive end. As a defender, I wholeheartedly believe he is the stronger defender between himself and Amen Thompson, which is no small feat. Ausar is a pest, a defensive menace, and a very welcome addition on that end for Detroit. The Pistons have been at the bottom of the league in defensive ratings for far too long. Defense has been the identity of the Pistons dating back to the Bad Boys, but that defensive presence has been missing sorely for a long time. A strong defense is what General Manager, Troy Weaver, has repeatedly emphasized as a priority of building this team's identity. With Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson seemingly sharing the court, this defensive worry becomes a strength. The biggest factor for Detroit's defense will be Cade Cunnningham’s effort on the defensive end in the short term, and long. Cade has shown signs of being an active and competent defender, and that potential makes Ausar’s fit even more exciting.  

The Pistons have not had a wing prospect with the tools Thompson has in recent memory. They have swung and missed on wing prospects in the last decade. Some decent role players emerged, but there was never a player with All-Star potential. KCP, Stanley Johnson, Sekou Doumbouya, and Saddiq Bey were all among NBA Draft misses who ultimately did not reach a second contract with Detroit. For the first time in a long time, Pistons fans have a wing prospect with all the tools to finally fill this vacancy. Ausar Thompson, will be at worst, a defensive menace and an offensive spark plug. At best, Ausar Thompson can be one of the league’s most valuable wings. You can’t ask for much better than that.

Ausar's story is yet to be written, but Pistons fans have all the reasons to be excited for the future.