Ausar Thompson’s second season didn’t go exactly to plan for the Detroit Pistons.
He had to miss the entire offseason and training camp because of blood clots and then sat for the first 18 games of the season.
After that, it took him a while to ramp up his minutes and get into playing shape, so Thompson didn’t play 30+ minutes in a game until the beginning of March.
That said, he’s been a huge factor in their success, as the team took off when he joined the starting lineup, which gave their defense a boost and helped form their identity.
Given that he missed his first and arguably most important offseason and that his season was completely disjointed, it’s fair to wonder how good Ausar Thompson is going to be now that he is healthy and can put in a full offseason of work.
That topic came up on a recent episode of the All-NBA Podcast, as Tim Legler heaped praise on Ausar, but also wondered if his biggest flaw will ultimately hold him back.
Legler called Thompson an “elite” defender who will eventually be a regular on the All-Defensive team but wondered if he would be able to stay on the floor long enough for it to matter because of his poor outside shooting.
These are fair questions, and Legler also added that Thompson is very good about not settling for the shot the other team wants him to take, which will be more important than his 3-point percentage.
Ausar Thompson’s shooting
Thompson did improve his 3-point percentage this season from 18 to 23 percent, still terrible, but he did improve, though he did take fewer attempts.
While he still chucks up some ugly airballs at times, his form did look smoother and more natural overall, and a full offseason with shooting guru Fred Vinson should help him take another leap.
As I said earlier, this is a young man who missed that crucial first offseason, so I do think there is a big leap in shooting coming with Vinson on board. Coach Vinson was able to help guys like Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Herb Jones, so I do think he’ll be a big asset to Ausar Thompson and the Pistons.
While I agree that Thompson needs to be a better shooter, I don’t think it’s crucial that he gets there right away and think other skills are more important.
I love that Thompson doesn’t settle for 3’s even though teams often leave him wide open but instead tries to get to the rim to set up teammates or get his own shot.
That’s why ballhandling and finishing are more important skills at this point in his career than 3-point shooting, as Thompson has to be able to make defenses pay for not guarding him and if he can start doing that on a regular basis, he’ll be more difficult to defend.
If Thompson cleans up his handles and starts making more of the floaters he gets at the rim, then any 3-point shooting they get from him is going to be gravy.
The Pistons aren’t a great shooting team overall, but like Thompson, have found ways to score, mainly by feeding off defensive stops and getting out in transition.
Thompson does so many other things that you can live with his one flaw, and as he continues to improve, he has All-Star potential as a defender who is already very good.