For most of his career, the offensive focus for Ausar Thompson has been on his poor shooting, especially from 3-point range, where he is just 20 percent for his career.
But Thompson only needed one preseason game to show how he can take a star turn, and it has nothing to do with the 3-point line.
Ausar Thompson can thrive in the mid-range
It’s only one preseason game, but Thompson already flashed some of the things Pistons fans were hoping to see.
He was much more aggressive and decisive with the ball in his hands and was effective as a creator, getting into the lane several times and working off screens. He collapsed the defense on one play early on, which set up an easy lob to John Collins.
But possibly the most impressive part of Ausar’s game was that he pulled up for three mid-range jumpers and drilled them all, looking comfortable in the process.
This is the shot that will ultimately unlock his game, as defenders barely guard this shot anymore, so if he can knock them down consistently, that will be there for him.
Do it enough, and defenders will eventually have to respect him, which means they can’t sag off as much, and Thompson will have an easier time blowing by defenses and getting to the rim. It will also reduce some of the spacing issues with Duren if defenders can't sag off with impunity.
I was also impressed with the way he created from the elbow out of the short roll after setting a screen, another area that is generally wide open. If Thompson had been able to better take advantage of that spot in last year’s playoffs, we may have had a different result.
There are going to be some bumps along the way
It’s easy to get excited about what we saw in the first exhibition, but Thompson being a creator and mid-range threat is a process that won’t happen overnight.
He’ll have to continue to make quick decisions with the ball in his hands and avoid dribbling into traffic, which is where he got into trouble at times last season. The Pistons have struggled with turnovers, so need Thompson to take care of the ball if he’s going to see more of it.
Disclaimers aside, JB Bickerstaff was right when he said that if Thompson makes a leap, the team will too. It might also mitigate the need to go star hunting at the trade deadline if they are getting the creation and secondary scoring in-house.
Thompson doesn’t have to even take a 3-pointer to make the offensive leap the Pistons need, as secondary creation is far more important after the Pistons bolstered their outside shooting.
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