Ausar Thompson is already one of the best perimeter defensive talents the NBA has ever seen after just his third season, but he can reach yet another level. A perfect example for him to follow is legendary lockdown defender Tony Allen, who himself evolved over the course to his career to become more patient and maintain his defense without fouling. Arguably Thompson's only defensive weakness is his tendency to foul, which hurt the Pistons in key playoff moments last season.
Thompson's next defensive evolution is clear
Last season, Thompson's defense reached remarkable levels which helped drive the Pistons to a great deal of unconventional success in the modern NBA. They won 60 games without a top offense thanks to Thompson's work supporting the entire defense. He was simultaneously an on-ball stopper and an off-ball disruptor thanks to his versatile defense and insane athleticism.
But Thompson still had a glaring flaw in his weakness, which was his bad fouling habit. Unfortunately, that habit was common in Detroit and 4 Pistons finished within the top 20 across the NBA of most fouls per game. Those fouls arguably also contributed to the Pistons' disappointing playoff results as they found themselves giving up free points.
Ausar has averaged at least 2.7 fouls per game in every season of his young NBA career so far. Last season was actually his best effort in this department, since he was previously racking up even more fouls in less minutes. Even more improvement in this area should lead to further defensive growth and possibly even a run at the coveted Defensive Player of the Year award.
Tony Allen learned the same lesson years ago
Allen was also touted as an elite defender since his early days in the league. He didn't have the same level of elite athleticism as Thompson, but he was always capable of keeping up with the league's top guards on the perimeter. Allen's quickness and knack for coming up with steals also led to him playing some reckless defense at times and racking up fouls.
In his third season, Allen averaged 2.6 fouls per game in just 24 minutes per game of playing time. His recklessness led to a diminished role with the Celtics and he was eventually traded to the Grizzlies, where he showed more patience and earned more playing time. As Allen gained experience, he was able to cut down on his fouls while grabbing even more steals and staying on the floor longer.
In his best season foul-wise, Allen was able to play 26 minutes a night while averaging just 2.4 fouls per game; he also made First Team All-Defense that season. If Thompson can reach that level of discipline, he can have even more defensive impact. It's hard to nitpick Thompson's defense after an all-world showing last season, but his next evolution does seem clear in retrospect.
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