Ausar Thompson's defense impressing Detroit Pistons, putting NBA on notice

Ausar Thompson entered his rookie season with expectations placed upon him beyond the norm for a 20-year-old.

The Detroit Pistons believed that, in time, Thompson — the No. 5 overall pick in June — would be able to relieve 2021 No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham by taking on the toughest defensive assignments.

“We think he has a chance to be an elite defender on the perimeter,” general manager Troy Weaver said at Thompson's introductory news conference in June. “How he meshes with those guys is, I think he’ll take a lot of pressure off of Cade and Jaden (Ivey) by being able to defend the best perimeter player on the other team.”

Since Day 1, the Pistons have expressed high confidence in Thompson. The Overtime Elite product dazzled with his unique blend of length, athleticism and instinct. He was widely regarded as one of the draft’s best defensive prospects — one who could eventually be an annual pick for the NBA's All-Defense team.

But less than a month in, Thompson might already be there. Through 13 games, he has a reel of defensive highlights against many of the league’s top scorers — Jimmy Butler, Zach LaVine, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Kevin Durant.

And he’s commanding respect from his peers.

“I think it’s an incredible class, but the Thompson twins, I don’t know man,” Golden State Warriors star (and Saginaw and Michigan State alumnus) Draymond Green told reporters in early November. “I feel a way about the Thompson twins and (Victor Wembanyama) because those guys are making it much harder for me to continue to make All-Defensive teams.”

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Thompson has stuffed the stat sheet through his first 13 games, averaging 11.8 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.8 blocks as a 6-foot-7 wing. He’s not just leading all rookies in blocks and rebounds per game — he’s ninth and 12th, respectively, among all NBA players.

Those block and board numbers are historic — only former Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Camby tallied more through his first 10 games, according to ESPN. His box scores jump off the page: Oct. 30 against the Oklahoma City Thunder — 15 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks and three assists. Nov. 5 against the Phoenix Suns — 14 points, nine rebounds, four assists, four blocks and four steals. Nov. 10 against the Philadelphia 76ers — 12 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and three blocks.

“On-the-ball, you may not find many better (defensively), whether it’s a rookie or a veteran,” Pistons head coach Monty Williams — in his 17th season as an NBA assistant or head coach — said Thursday.

“The one-on-one defense, I’ve not seen too many guys like Ausar that can just, he can stay in front of a … I can say something but I’m not. He can stay in front of pretty much everybody.”

His NBA debut against the Miami Heat on Oct. 25 was a preview of what was to come. He badgered Butler into a 6-for-18 shooting performance, and blocked the All-NBA wing three times at the rim. Less than two weeks later, against the Suns, he was a key in Durant’s slow start: The 10-time All-NBA pick shot 6-for-18 in the first half.

Thompson’s defense is garnering national attention as well. Analysts from ESPN (Kevin Pelton and Bobby Marks), NBA.com and The Ringer have all ranked him as the third-best rookie thus far, behind Wembanyama, the No. 1 pick in June, and Chet Holmgren, the No. 2 pick in 2022.

That’s in spite of the fact that Thompson still has significant room for improvement. Williams noted his one-on-one defense is ahead of his team defense. It’s reflected in his foul rate — Thompson and Cunningham were tied with an NBA-high 44 personal fouls after Friday’s loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

There are nuances to NBA defense that Thompson is still learning, such as the amount of space he can give opposing players and how much contact officials are willing to let him get away with.

“There are times in the team concept where he has a tendency to play too far off of his guy because of the athleticism, he thinks he can get back to them,” Williams said. “And NBA guys only need a crack in the door and it’s gone. I think he’s learning that part.

“Where he has to grow, and we’ve talked about it with all of our guys, the reaching has to stop. The other day we had at least five situations where we reached when we were in the bonus, or it was a two-point game. He had one tough one where he, it looked like he could get it, but sometimes NBA guys show you the ball just so you reach, and then they pick up the foul. That’s an area of growth for him, the team concept and just being solid with his hands.”

Thompson also needs development on offense. His outside shooting has been his biggest weakness — he's 4-for-28 (14.3%) on 3-pointers. Teams have been comfortable giving him open jumpers, contributing to the Pistons' frequent spacing issues.

But he has made up for his shooting. Thompson has been among Detroit’s best playmakers, and is the best rebounder on the team alongside Jalen Duren. After the Pistons’ loss to the Cavaliers on Friday, only the New York Knicks' Mitchell Robinson had more offensive rebounds (67) than Thompson’s 52. That, combined with Thompson’s vision, has led to more than a few outlet passes leading to easy transition points for Detroit.

The Pistons are excited about what they’ve seen so far. Williams has tried not to put too much on the rookie’s plate. Thompson has made that a difficult task, though — only Cunningham and Isaiah Stewart have logged more minutes than him.

It's a debut drawing raves from his fellow first-rounder.

“He’s been amazing,” Cunningham said. “Defensively, getting steals and blocks, that’s been huge for us. But rebounding the ball, points in transition, all of those things have really helped us a lot. He’s the one that, without really knowing the league yet, that’s just initial what he’s coming in able to do. He’s only going to continue to get better.

“I tell guys that it doesn’t really take knowing his strengths and weaknesses much because he can play-make, he can get wherever he wants on the floor. He’s pretty easy to plug in with any group, anywhere playing basketball. Pickup, wherever. He’ll be able to be impactful. He’s definitely been really fun to watch, but really fun to play with.”

Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him @omarisankofa.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Ausar Thompson's defense for Detroit Pistons has NBA on notice