Power ranking 5 compelling Pistons storylines heading into play-in bid season

#1: Ausar Thompson 

This one is a bummer, there is no other way to say it, as you don’t want to talk about what a guy means to a basketball team when he potentially has serious health issues. 

We don’t really know the extent of how blood clots are going to affect Thompson or his career, but we do know that he still hasn’t been cleared by the league’s protocol panel and there is no timeline for when that might happen. 

First and foremost, we have to hope that he is healthy and won’t face any further complications, as there are more important things than basketball. 

Once that hurdle is cleared, getting Thompson back is paramount, as he is the team’s best defender and gives them far more lineup versatility because of his ability to take on any assignment. 

This does give Thompson a chance to get a ton of extra work with shooting coach Fred Vinson, which is one positive that comes from him being held out from full-contact action, but right now a big part of the Pistons’ future is on the sidelines and we don’t know how long he’ll be there. 

The other storylines are nothing compared to this one, so let’s hope we see Thompson cleared, fully healthy and out there causing chaos soon.