Detroit Pistons fans have been asking for Ausar Thompson to be more involved in the offense, and he will be next season, according to JB Bickerstaff.
Coach Bickerstaff was asked during media day about specific areas of growth for Ausar Thompson and Ron Holland and mentioned both of them will have the ball in their hands more.
He called Thompson a “monster” with the ball, something we did see in flashes last season, as Ausar can get to the rim as quickly as any player, and when you see electric spin moves like this, or this, you can understand why JB wants to get this guy the ball.
Ron Holland II also flashed the ability to get to the rim off the bounce and he’ll get more opportunity to do so after a strong showing in Summer League where he looked very confident, according to coach Bickerstaff.
The Pistons will need more offensive production from these two, as they are trying to offset the loss of key shooters and need to take some of the pressure off Cade Cunningham.
Detroit Pistons: The second star and point guard by committee
For Ausar Thompson to be the second star that many (including me) think he is, then he needs to add more to his offensive game, and should be able to after going through his first full offseason.
Thompson has to be more than just a defensive stopper, and we need to see him initiate the offense, work with the ball in the pick-and-roll and get to the rim off the dribble, which we know he can do.
Ausar is not going to morph into a lights-out 3-point shooter overnight and doesn’t need to, but if he can do more with the ball in his hands, that will be the first step on a path to the All-Star team, as we already know he plays defense at an elite level.
He’ll need tighter handles, fewer turnovers and to make better decisions with the ball once he enters the paint, especially as a passer.
The Pistons don’t have a second point guard, as everyone other than Cade Cunningham falls into the “hybrid” category, which puts a lot of pressure on Cunningham to be the sole playmaker and forces him to expend a ton of energy.
It would be ideal if other players, including Jaden Ivey, Thompson and Holland, could initiate the offense at times and get Cade easier looks that he doesn’t have to create himself.
It sounds as though that is the plan, so Pistons fans should be happy that we’ll be getting more Thompson and Holland next season.