Cold hard Ausar Thompson truth that the NBA is learning the hard way

The Pistons have locked up the first seed after a strong recent stretch powered by Ausar Thompson and their defense. Ausar isn't a household name yet, but he's making his impact felt powerfully on the court. Despite his limited scoring arsenal, Thompson has been a force for the Pistons with his incredible defense and underrated offensive skillset, such as being a secondary playmaker.

Ausar Thompson is coming into his own at the right time

Thompson's dominance couldn't have been better timed for the Pistons. They've been able to continue racking up wins even without their superstar guard in Cade Cunningham because of Thompson and others stepping up. In the last 11 games, the Pistons have gone 9-2 while having the NBA's 4th best defense - nearly entirely without Cade.

And the league is starting to take notice of Thompson's unique defensive impact. He was recently awarded Defensive Player of the Month in the East for the month of March. During that time, he averaged a league-leading 2.5 steals and 4.8 deflections per game while also adding over a block per game. With the honor, Ausar joins the Spurs' Victor Wembanyama as the only players to win Defensive Player of the Month multiple times this season.

One of the main reasons the Pistons have been able to progress so rapidly in the last two seasons even without making any big roster changes is Ausar's continued growth. His offensive game might not yet be at the level that some fans hoped, but his defense has gotten better every single season. Last season, he already turned Detroit's season around with his defensive playmaking but he's taking it to yet another level this season.

Ausar's defense will be felt in the playoffs too

And Thompson's impact is sure to continue into the postseason. Many analysts have written the Pistons off as a second-round exit due to their lackluster halfcourt offense, especially outside of Cade. But the Pistons are turning that notion on its head recently; they have gotten better offense from others AND shown how dominant their defense can be.

Nobody expects Ausar to transform into an offensive superstar overnight. But the doubters are massively underrating his defense in a playoff setting. Ausar is elite at many skills as a defender, allowing him to both shut down an offense's best option in isolation or blow up a play from the weak side. His defensive playmaking with steals and blocks also leads to easy baskets for the Pistons, helping bolster their offensive numbers.

Writing off Ausar Thompson as a playoff threat because he doesn't average 20 points per game would be a mistake that any team will sorely regret as soon as they face him.