The Detroit Pistons will take on the San Antonio Spurs in the fourth game of their Summer League schedule.
It’s been an exciting one so far for Pistons fans, as many are getting to see Ausar Thompson in live action for the first time and are walking away impressed by what they see.
It’s easy to overreact to Summer League, but Thompson has looked special, and I don’t think I’ve seen fans this excited about a player’s potential since Cade Cunningham.
It’s possible Thompson will play less in the fourth game, though he doesn’t strike me as a player who likes to take days off.
This could be the final game we get until the Fall, so here are three things I’d love to see.
Detroit Pistons: 3 things we want to see in the 4th Summer League game
More Ausar Thompson
Seriously, Thompson’s highlight reel has me ready to run through walls already. With Jaden Ivey already on the bench, Thompson was featured more as primary playmaker against Toronto and I would love to see more of it.
Really just want to see more of Thompson in general, as the way he disrupts an offense is a joy to watch if you are into defense. He seems to get his hands on just about everything and I really love watching him compete on the defensive end.
So I hope the Pistons unleash Ausar for the fourth game, let him be aggressive on offense, fly around on defense and keep the hopeful vibes going into the rest of the offseason.
Marcus Sasser make some shots
There have been some things to like about Sasser’s play in Summer League, and there’s only so much you can take away from games with guys who have barely played together. He plays with poise on offense and really competes on defense, which you love to see. He had a steal late in the game against Toronto that pretty much sealed it, so it was great to watch the two rookies really compete to get a win.
But it would also be nice for the rookie to knock down some shots. He’s shooting just 31 percent from the floor in the three games so far on just under 10 attempts per game. He’s hit just 22 percent of his 3-point shots on six attempts.
I am not at all worried about Sasser, as rookies often take some time to adjust to the speed and spacing, as well as the NBA 3-point line, but it would be great for his confidence to see a few go in before the offseason grind.
A fringe player have a big game
With most of the regulars hitting the bench early, this should be a game that features guys competing for two-way contracts and spots in the G-League. The Pistons have failed to utilize their two-way contracts or G-League team much, which is a shame considering how bad they’ve been and how many open minutes there were due to injuries.
They seem to have a much more competitive group this year than last and it would be nice to see one of them separate himself a bit from the pack with a big game. Jared Rhoden looks like the prime candidate so far, but we could also see guys like Malcolm Cazalon or Tosan Evbuomwan step up in an expanded role.