The Pistons have needed another creator to step up next to Cade Cunninghamwith Jalen Duren sidelined, and Ausar Thompson has been that guy. He's continuing his recent streak of productive offensive games with a solid first-half statline of 9 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists against the Nets in the Pistons' first NBA Cup game of the season. Ausar even capped off a productive first half with a highlight reverse layup off a nice crossover.
Ausar is developing his offensive arsenal
One game after leading the Pistons in assists (an honor that usually belong to Cade), Ausar is once again pacing the team in assists at halftime. His improved playmaking this season has been a major boost for his offensive output, and also helps Cade work off the ball at times. So far, Ausar's assists have led to extremely productive offense: a wide-open dunk for John Collins and 3 kickouts for three-pointers from Duncan Robinson and Kevin Huerter.
Ausar's offensive growth this season could be huge for the Pistons and give him a necessary additional dimension to his game on top of his excellent defense. The Pistons can't afford for him to get stagnant on offense considering his heavy minutes load and how opposing defenses have played off him in the past. Fortunately, Ausar clearly put in work to improve over the offseason and it's showing now.
On top of his passing, Ausar has also looked more comfortable hunting his own shot. He's not only driving to the rim against weaker defenders, but also taking (and making) midrange shots if his defenders back off him too far. While he may not have a reliable 3-point shot yet, the 2-level scoring can be enough to keep defenses honest, especially when you add in his playmaking and athleticism.
The Pistons needed this leap now
Cade is obviously the driving force of the Pistons offense and probably will be no matter how much his teammates grow. But Ausar's progression can be very valuable to support bench units when Cade takes a breather, as well as helping Cade work less hard on some plays when he is on the court.
Duren's injury put even more of a focus on Ausar to showcase his growth, but he's answered the call brilliantly. Ausar's process won't always be perfect, since he's still developing his attacking mindset, along with getting more comfortable actually implementing his newfound skills.
But it's a great time in the season for Ausar to be working on these developments and getting more comfortable. Hopefully it leads to him being fully ready as an offensive weapon by the playoffs and raises the Pistons' postseason ceiling.
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