The Pistons secured Ausar Thompson on a long-term deal at a reasonable value (5 years and $155 million in total), which he can obviously exceed with the right offensive growth. As part of his ongoing development, Thompson's free throws will be a key statistic to monitor. Detroit needs him to be more aggressive attacking the rim, which should lead to more free throw attempts, and convert on a higher percentage of them.
Free throws are a great benchmark for Ausar's aggression
Obviously, Thompson is already one of the league's best defenders and can grow even more on that end. But he can't reach his full potential until a similar level of confidence and aggression materialize on offense too. If Ausar does put his physical tools and skills to use offensively, his free throws should go up dramatically.
Arguably the best offensive stretch so far in Thompson's young career was the 2025 playoffs, when the Pistons lost in 6 games to the Knicks. During that series, he earned 6 free throw attempts per game - in just 22 minutes per game! He used his elite athleticism and chemistry with Jalen Duren to attack the rim relentlessly against New York's soft defense.
However, Thompson has mostly hovered around 2-3 free throws per game in every other stretch of his career. Last season, he saw 2.6 attempts per game in the regular season and actually dropped to just 2.2 attempts per game in the playoffs. Those numbers reflected a step back in offensive aggression and an over-reliance on Cade Cunningham to get the offense going in the postseason.
The Pistons need Ausar to take a leap as an offensive initiator, even before adding another creator to help Cade. The most important step there will be attacking the rim and putting pressure on defenses. More free throws should come with that growth, considering Thompson's physical advantages. Detroit should hope for him to get up towards 4 free throw attempts per game next season.
Free throw accuracy is also a good shooting benchmark
Earning more free throws should have multiple benefits for Thompson. Not only will it help generate easier points and get opponents in foul trouble, but it'll also provide an opportunity to increase his shooting confidence.
Free throw percentage is often touted as a good barometer of overall shooting potential. Thompson regressed in his accuracy from the charity stripe last season, knocking down just 57% of his attempts. The previous season, that number was up at 64%.
If he can get to the line more consistently, he should be able to generate a better rhythm for hitting his foul shots. In turn, that can increase his overall shooting confidence and even lead to some expanded range. We know that Ausar and the Pistons coaching staff have been hard at working developing his jumper. The best way to unleash it might first be increasing his aggression attacking the rim and racking up more free throws.
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