Ausar Thompson will always be compared to his twin brother Amen, and so far, that comparison has been straight forward.
Amen is the more polished offensive player, the better ball handler and creator, and it shows clearly in the stats.
Ausar is the superior defender (though not by a wide margin), a more versatile and disruptive force on that end than Amen, though he’s no slouch either.
It equals Amen being the better player at this point in their careers, and there is not much debate, which is why he got over $50 million more on his extension than his brother got from the Detroit Pistons.
But after his first fully healthy offseason, Ausar can close that gap and make his contract look like a clear steal in comparison.
Ausar Thompson needs to create more for his teammates
Ausar looked more aggressive and comfortable as a playmaker in the first preseason game, which is an area where he can close the offensive gap between him and his brother.
Thompson was solid with the ball in his hands, looked to have more reliable handles and was able to get into the lane and set up his teammates for two assists in just 18 minutes.
Ausar averaged just 3.1 assists per game last season, while Amen banked over five, but this is leap Ausar should be able to make with increased time on the ball as a playmaker, as Amen had a three percent higher usage rating, which is a realistic number for Ausar this season.
It starts with taking care of the ball, as Ausar had a 14.3 percent turnover rate last year, which is not great, especially when he wasn’t really being used much as a creator.
Amen had the ball in his hands much more last season but still had a better turnover percentage (13.5), so it’s good to see Ausar being stronger with the ball, but he has to cut down the turnovers.
Ausar Thompson has more weapons around him
The Pistons have added shooters in Isaiah Joe, John Collins and Taurean Prince, who should give Ausar more space to exploit as well as more targets to set up for assists.
This also includes Cade Cunningham, who should be one of the biggest beneficiaries of increased playmaking from Thompson. Cunningham was deadly on the catch-and-shoot 3-ball in the playoffs, and the Pistons should be looking to get a few more of those for him every game, but for him to be open, someone else has to create.
Thompson is already showing signs that he can be that guy, and if he can bump his assists up to 5+ per game, he will have closed some of the offensive gap that currently exists between him and his twin.
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