The Pistons were severely undersized in their most recent game against the 76ers, but Ausar Thompson stepped up with 17 rebounds to at least keep Detroit competitive on the boards. Detroit was still missing its biggest rebounder in Jalen Duren, so it was only Thompson's superhuman effort that kept the Pistons from a massive size disadvantage.
Against a huge front line featuring Joel Embiid and LeBron James, Thompson's efforts were needed. If Thompson can continue being a major force on the boards, he can also enable some smaller lineups for the Pistons featuring more shooting. It might not be the conventional leap we expected Thompson to make offensively this season, but more rebounding from him could definitely help the Pistons score more points.
Thompson can help keep smaller lineups afloat
The Pistons have struggled to strike a good balance with small-ball lineups in recent seasons, considering their lack of major investment into the power forward position. Even now, with John Collins once having been a prolific rebounder, Detroit often finds itself at a size disadvantage if he's the biggest Piston on the court. Ausar can fix that issue by playing large enough to fill a power forward role and rebound like a center.
We obviously can't expect 17 rebounds from him every game, but getting close to double digits is realistic. He's already averaging a career-high 8.6 boards per game this season, up from 5.7 last season and a previous career-best of 6.4 from his rookie year.
The Pistons have tried to lean into their shooting more than ever this season with lineups featuring multiple guards and smaller wings capable of hitting threes. That's led to a size disadvantage compared to last season, when Detroit punished opponents through rebounding and paint dominance. Thompson's increased activity has helped thread a fine line to better spacing without sacrificing all of the Pistons' interior advantages.
The Pistons should dominate the boards again soon enough
Duren has only played about 5 quarters this season, but the Pistons are still holding steady as a middle-of-the-pack rebounding team, when adjusting for pace. Once he gets back, they'll have more size and depth at the center position. If Thompson also maintains his rebounding activity, the Pistons will be a menace on the boards at full strength.
Thompson will also allow Collins to spend more time on the perimeter offensively as a floor spacer without giving up offensive rebounding chances. Thompson's own supreme athleticism makes him arguably a bigger rebounding threat now, and Collins is obviously the better shooter. Once both of those players are able to fully lean into their roles with Duren in the middle, the Pistons' offense might evolve further into the best of all worlds.
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