It took Ausar Thompson less than 30 seconds to show why he's special

The Detroit Pistons cruised to an easy win over the Washington Wizards last night, but if you asked Ausar Thompson, he’d probably tell you he wasn’t happy with his play. 

Thompson picked up early fouls and was taken out of the flow of the game. He wasn’t a part of the offense early and ended the game with just eight points on 3-of-8 shooting. 

He was visibly upset with himself at times, which you would expect from a young man who is a perfectionist, works hard and wants to get things right for his team. 

But even on an “off” night, Ausar showed how much he affects games, as he also had five rebounds, an assist and two blocks on the night, finishing +22 (2nd best on the team) in just 20 minutes. 

Even when Thompson isn’t scoring, he regularly does things that few wings in the NBA can do, including a 30-second stretch last night where he displayed a little bit of everything he brings to the Detroit Pistons. 

Ausar Thompson: The dunk in transition, the block and the pass 

The Pistons toyed with the Wizards for most of the night, turning it on every time Washington started to chip away at the lead. 

One such stretch came just seconds after the Pistons’ announcers talked about how Ausar wasn’t having a great night, to which he responded by leading the Pistons on a big run. 

As you’ll see in this clip, Thompson catches a lob after running hard in transition for an easy bucket, which is something he brings even on nights when his shot isn’t falling. The Pistons have two of the best lob catchers in the NBA in Jalen Duren and Thompson, as you can throw it pretty much anywhere and they’ll go up and get it. 

Thompson then stuffs 7-footer Alex Sarr at the rim with a block that few wing players in the NBA would even attempt, much less pull off.  

He finished the play on the other end by running hard again, getting himself in position to make a play, then firing a one-handed pass to Tim Hardaway Jr. for the wide-open 3-pointer. That’s a five-point swing on one play and Ausar Thompson was at the center of it even though he didn’t score. 

There are things in Thompson’s game that need improvement (handles, playing under control, shooting) but when you consider he missed the entire offseason and training camp after his rookie season, what he’s doing this year is impressive. 

The Pistons took off when Thompson was inserted into the starting lineup after returning from blood clots and he’s one of the biggest reasons for their defensive surge since the All-Star break, when they have the best defensive rating in the league. 

Ausar Thompson is special, and with a full offseason and training camp ahead of him, don’t be surprised if he joins Cade Cunningham on the All-Star team soon.