For the Detroit Pistons to reach their full potential, they need Ausar Thompson and Jalen Duren to follow in the path of two of their peers.
The NBA’s All-Defensive teams were announced yesterday and there weren’t any Pistons on it, something that soon needs to change.
Isaiah Stewart may have had a shot, but he didn’t meet the asinine minutes’ requirement for postseason awards.
Same with Ausar Thompson, who is undoubtedly one of the best wing defenders in the league, but also didn’t play enough games for consideration.
Jalen Duren played 78 games, but wasn’t good enough defensively, something that got exposed even more in the playoffs when he was unable to guard Karl-Anthony Towns.
The good news is that there are examples on this year’s All-Defensive team that should give these Pistons hope that their names will soon be on the list of the league’s best defenders.
Ausar and Amen Thompson are about to take over
Ausar’s twin brother Amen was named to the All-Defensive first team, an honor he and his brother will almost certainly share at some point in their careers. The interesting thing is that Ausar was considered the better defensive prospect and now his brother is already on the first team in just his second season, which is impressive.
Ausar Thompson just needs to keep doing what he’s doing, as he was very good defensively this season and stood out in the playoffs marking Jalen Brunson. He just needs to stay healthy, and Ausar is almost guaranteed to make an All-Defensive team as soon as next season.
It would be cool for him and his twin brother to make the team at the same time, and I don’t think we’ll have to wait long for it to happen.
Jalen Duren needs to follow the Ivica Zubac model
Ivica Zubac was named to the All-Defensive second team after a breakout season that garnered him plenty of Most Improve Player votes.
If you look at Zubac’s numbers before this season, they are eerily similar to Duren’s, but Zubac made a leap on both ends this season, jumping up to 16.8 points, 12.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.1 blocks per game.
Duren scored less and had slightly fewer rebounds, but otherwise their block, steal and assist numbers were exactly the same this season.
The difference is that Zubac was the anchor of one of the league’s best defensive teams and Duren is not there yet on that end. JD must get better at switching on the perimeter, hedging screens (a big man skill whose importance is underrated) and not getting lost in transition.
Duren has the physical makeup to be a great defender, but he needs improvement on aspects of team as well as individual defense.
Whether Duren ever gets there will define his ceiling and ultimately his career in the NBA.
The Pistons are going to have some All-Defensive players soon, and if they want to make the big leap as a team, they’ll need these two guys to lead the way.