JB Bickerstaff only played Ausar Thompson for 25 minutes in the Detroit Pistons’ game one loss to the Magic and took plenty of heat for it.
I thought it was a mistake, the same one he made last year against the Knicks, but Bickerstaff defended his decision saying he needed more ball handlers to be able to play Cade off the ball more:
J.B. on Ausar’s minutes:
— Hunter Patterson (@HunterPatterson) April 21, 2026
“It’s one of those balancing acts you’re trying to figure out in the moment of what you need. Having more ball handlers on the floor, being able to take Cade off the ball. … We know how important AT is for us. He’ll have a consistent role, as always.” pic.twitter.com/N4BAyJfsUQ
On the surface, this is a perfectly reasonable take and one that makes sense. Ausar Thompson can’t shoot, and he needs to improve his ball handling as well as his finishing around the rim.
I don’t think there’s anyone who doesn’t think Thompson needs to improve on offense, even his biggest supporters.
But it’s not as if the Pistons who replaced him were lighting up the gym either, and even though JB’s decision might make sense, it’s not supported by the numbers.
The Pistons are better with Ausar Thompson
Coach Bickerstaff has been consistent with Thompson’s minutes for most of the season, as he averaged just 26 per game, so his game one run wasn’t that off.
I can also understand trying to inject more offense into a team that was struggling to score, but the problem is that all of the numbers point to the Pistons being better on both ends when Thompson is in.
Thompson is a part of the Pistons’ four top played lineups by minutes this season, and all of them have a positive net rating and an offensive rating of at least 121.4, ballooning all the way up to 134.6 when he played with Cade, Robinson, Reed and Harris.
Cade Cunningham is a part of three of these four lineups, so the Pistons have shown they can score with Ausar and Cade on the floor together.
Not only that, but the Pistons’ offensive rating is three points higher this season when Thompson is on the floor, and their defensive rating is six points lower.
If you want to look specifically at how Thompson affects Cade, Cunningham’s usage drops five percent with Thompson on the floor while his points go up, so Thompson is doing the exact thing coach Bickerstaff used as a reason to keep him out in the second half.
I get it, Thompson is not as easy to use in some ways as a more traditional playmaker, so JB Bickerstaff is going to have to get creative.
The Pistons have to find a way to use the space
The good thing about a team not guarding a guy is that it creates space, as defenders aren’t getting up tight on Thompson to stop him from shooting.
The Pistons have to get more creative in how they use that space (think Draymond) and not just have Thompson try to drive into it, which isn’t his strength right now.
The real value Thompson brings to an offense comes on the defensive end, where he creates turnovers and gets deflections that lead to easy hoops in transition, which the Pistons desperately need.
JB Bickerstaff won’t be on the hot seat regardless of what happens in this year’s playoffs, as he has already bought himself plenty of goodwill with his masterful job of changing the culture of this team.
But he has to find creative ways to use his second-best player, as the Pistons are a better team when Thompson is on the floor, and it’s the coach’s job to find a way to keep him on it.
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