Ausar Thompson just gave the Pistons a sign of life for his development

The Detroit Pistons are going to need some serious juice from Ausar Thompson this season. Utilizing him as a ball-handler will be essential, and the Pistons have certainly been trying to do that more during the preseason. But in the Pistons’ final preseason game against the Toronto Raptors on Friday night, Thompson showed a glimpse of something else: A jumper.

With the shot clock winding down early in the third quarter, Thompson was left in the corner. Left to create something for himself. He crossed over to his left, pulled up, and sank a mid-range jumper. Nothing but net. It was pure. It was promising. It was a sign that perhaps there are some offensive skills the Pistons have yet to see from Thompson.

If he can keep working on his jump shot – whether from the mid-range or beyond the arc – it would be massive for the Pistons.

Ausar Thompson is showing flashes of a jumper

This summer, the Pistons didn’t make a ton of significant moves. If anything, they lost some important players. The most significant loss of them all was Tobias Harris, though they did replace him with John Collins.

Considering the Pistons’ biggest problem last season was a complete lack of consistent offensive production outside of Cade Cunningham, that’s definitely not an ideal string of summer moves.

Obviously, there were smaller additions, too, but there were also smaller subtractions. Isaiah Joe should be great for the Pistons. But still, getting more out of some internal development will be important.

That’s where Thompson comes into play. And more specifically, that’s where Thompson’s small flash of jump-shooting promise comes into play. Because it was definitely something to take note of.

It was just one shot. In a random preseason game. But it was just enough to get Pistons fans excited about the idea that Thompson could potentially develop a jump shot.

Ever since he and his brother entered the NBA, it was pretty clear that they weren’t going to be shooters. And that was always okay. Because they are unbelievable defensive players, freak athletes, and very smart players.

It’s still okay. If Thompson never develops a jumper, he’ll still be an extremely important piece of the puzzle in Detroit. But a jumper would be the cherry on top.

Now that we know the remnants of a jumper exist within Thompson, perhaps the Pistons can find a way to fully unlock it. And maybe that will be one of the subplots of this season.

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