During yesterday's Detroit Pistons media day, Ausar Thompson said he was "in the best shape of his life," a quote that shows how this offseason is different from any other in his career.
Thompson's development is crucial for the Pistons long-term success, especially after they inked him to a lucrative contract extension this offseason.
He won't be under the same kind of microscope as one of his teammates (if Duren signs), but Thompson's development on the offensive end will be analyzed seriously for the first time next season.
And it's perfect timing, as Thompson is enjoying something that he hadn't enjoyed in any offseason of his young career, which is good health.
Ausar Thompson is finally having a healthy offseason without restrictions
One thing people have overlooked in discussions about Thompson's development is the fact that until this summer, he hadn't had a full offseason without restrictions.
Thompson was diagnosed with blood clots at the end of his rookie season and held out for the last 19 games. The Pistons were terrible anyway and didn't want to risk further injury, but it was more than just a precaution, as this was a serious health issue, one that also limited the subsequent offseason.
After missing the start of his second season, Thompson came back without problems, but suffered an ankle injury during the ensuing offseason that put some limitations on his work.
After a mostly healthy season last year, Thompson finally entered an offseason without any type of health problem or injury, which is why I believe him when he says he's in the best shape of his life.
Thompson is known as a gym rat, so unleashing him to go to work for months without any limitations should make for big improvements in his game.
Ausar Thompson knows what he needs to improve
Going into an offseason healthy is great, but Thompson also has the focus of knowing precisely what he needs to work on after three seasons in the NBA. He doesn't have to focus on rehabbing an injury or getting back into shape and can just work on his game.
He's trying to improve his handles so that he can be more of creator, while also working on his pull-ups so that he can punish teams for sagging off him.
Thompson has also reportedy spent a lot of time working on his shot with coach Fred Vinson along with Ron Holland II. Shooting is not the most important thing for Thompson, but if he can see an uptick in that area it would be gravy for the Pistons.
Most importantly, Thompson is healthy for the first full offseason of his career, which should mean exciting things for his development.
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