Coming into the first-round playoff series with the Knicks, the biggest question for the Detroit Pistons was who would step up behind Cade Cunningham.
It’s a question the Pistons have been asking all season, and the answer has been a different guy nearly every night.
Tobias Harris, Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr have all had their moments as the secondary guy, but coming into the series, we knew the Pistons were going to need a few wild card games from unlikely sources if they were going to pull off the upset.
In game five it was Ausar Thompson, who has slowly started to figure the Knicks out on both ends as the series progresses. He’s been much better about defending Jalen Brunson without fouling and is disrupting everything on that end. There is a stark difference in the Pistons’ team defense when he is not on the floor.
Last night he finally had a breakout game on the offensive end, where he figured out how to attack space and get himself open for dunks. Thompson had 22 points to go along with seven rebounds and two blocks.
Thompson has had a solid series but last night was a signature game that should have Pistons’ fans excited about the future.
Ausar Thompson has huge upside
The most exciting thing about Thompson’s performance in this series is that he has improved in every game.
He’s studying the nuances of his defense and has made adjustments that you would expect from a veteran, not a 22-year-old playing in his first playoff series.
And when you consider that he didn’t even have an offseason or training camp prior to this year, his progress is even more impressive.
He’s finding ways to impact the game even though he rarely even attempts a jump shot. The Knicks have tried to exploit that by playing off Thompson and last night he made them pay. His scoring was the difference in the game and something the Pistons will need if they want to survive game six at home.
Cade Cunningham and Ausar Thompson are the two most important young players on the Pistons and can be the cornerstones of this team. Their development in this series should have Pistons fans excited, as they have both figured things out as the series has gone along and showed they can perform in big games.
There won’t be a bigger one this season than game six on Thursday and we’ll need more of the same from the Pistons’ two cornerstones.