The Pistons are asking Ausar Thompson to be more aggressive on offense next year, but could run the risk of losing some defensive production in the process. Last season, the Rockets met that exact fate when they were forced to rely more heavily on his twin brother Amen for offensive creation. As a result, Amen missed most All-Defense teams entirely after making First Team the season prior in just his second year.
Ausar's defense could see a similar decline
Obviously, we all know that Amen Thompson didn't actually regress significantly as a defender. In fact, his offensive improvement last season gave the Rockets enough confidence to extend him on a huge deal this offseason. But he wasn't able to give the same constant energy on defense as he took on more duties as a scorer and playmaker.
In the 2024-25 season, Amen averaged 1.4 steals and 1.3 blocks per game while playing about 32 minutes per contest. His chaotic defense helped the Rockets finish 2nd in the West and earned him a 5th-place finish in Defensive Player of the Year voting. But last season, his defensive stats dropped a bit to 1.5 steals and 0.6 blocks per game in 37 minutes per contest (he also led the league in total minutes).
If the Pistons see a similar defensive dropoff from Ausar, who averaged 2.0 steals and 0.9 blocks per game last season in 26 minutes per contest, they could be in trouble. Ausar's well-rounded defensive impact, which included both shutting down star perimeter players and providing back-side help at the rim, fueled Detroit's dominant regular season. The Pistons also traded away their second-best defender last season, Isaiah Stewart, which puts even more defensive pressure on Ausar.
The Pistons need the tradeoff to be worthwhile
While Amen's defense dropped a little, his offensive improvements more than made up for it. Without any real point guards on the roster for the entire season, he still managed to put up 18 points and 5 assists per game. He even finished 3rd in the NBA when it came to total points in the paint, a hugely impressive feat for a 6'7" wing playing a guard role.
If the Pistons saw a similar jump from Ausar, it would be hugely beneficial to their offense. Cade Cunningham would certainly be thankful that his offensive load would be lightened and he won't have to work as hard to make Detroit's offense run. But it'll be a tricky balance to find the most optimized version of Ausar.
He's still very young so it's possible that he can continue improving on both ends. But his defense was already some of the best ever seen from a wing last season, and he finished 3rd in DPOY voting. Most likely, he will see a decline on that side of the ball next season while he (hopefully) improves on offense. The Pistons should be ok with that, as long as the defensive decline isn't too much.
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