Ausar Thompson treated fans of the Detroit Pistons to some of the most spectacular dunks of the last two seasons, but it’s his non-dunk finishes at the rim that need work.
Pistons fans spend an inordinate amount of time talking about Thompson’s poor 3-point shooting, which to me, is the least of his worries, as he can have a huge impact on the game without ever taking one.
If Thompson can be an elite defender who is a force in transition as a passer and finisher, then I’d be happy in season three, as we forget that Ausar hasn’t even had a full offseason yet. He’s not going to magically become a lights-out 3-point shooter overnight, so Thompson needs to lean into areas where he is already good and tweak important parts of his game that need it.
One of those tweaks needs to come at the rim, where Ausar can be a force because of his elite athleticism and ability to jump out of the gym.
We know Thompson can provide unreal dunks, but he has to get better at finishing when the dunk isn’t there.
Ausar Thompson: Learning to use more than just athleticism
On a recent episode of the Game Theory Podcast, Bryce Simon broke down some of Ausar’s problems at the rim and where he thinks they come from. He confirmed that Ausar’s “non-dunk finishing numbers” were not good, which is baffling for a player with his skillset and athleticism.
But it’s that very athleticism that is hurting him at times, as Thompson is used to simply being able to jump over people, which is no longer the case now that he is in the NBA and all of the athletes are elite, especially those who protect the rim.
All young NBA players go through this to a degree, as they try to adjust to no longer being vastly more athletic to everyone else on the floor. It makes quick decision-making even more important, as players have to decide on the fly (literally in some cases) how to attack a defender, whether it be to go over, around or through them.
You could see Ausar struggle with this processing at times and end up holding onto the ball too long, which caused turnovers and plenty of offensive fouls in the paint.
Thompson’s initial instinct is just to jump over the defender, which still works at times, but Simon mentioned an important detail, which is Ausar’s ability to play and make moves off two feet. When he’s on the move and going downhill, he’s tough to stop, but if you can stop the ball, Thompson sometimes struggles to get around or through defenders.
This will all come with time, but it’s something he definitely needs to improve, as Thompson will have to score in a variety of ways while his shooting comes around, a process that won’t happen overnight.