While much of the attention toward this season’s rookie class in the NBA is focused on Victor Wembanyama, there are a few others that have shown tremendous potential. One of them is Ausar Thompson, the uber-athletic 6-foot-7 wing for the Detroit Pistons.
What has basketball junkies most stoked when it comes to Thompson is his defensive ability. Through eight games, he’s averaging 9.0 rebounds, 1.9 blocked shots and 1.5 steals a game. In fact, he became only the fifth rookie in the last 40 years to have at least 40 rebounds and 10 blocks in his first four career games.
However, Thompson’s offense has been a disappointment, at least so far. While he’s averaging a decent 12.0 points a contest, he’s shooting just 40.2 percent from the field and an icy 17.4 percent from 3-point range.
Monty Williams, the head coach of the Pistons, had a clear message to Thompson: Shoot the ball, and if he’s unwilling to assert himself in that manner, he’ll have to come out of the game.
“He needs to. That’s our mentality. If you work on it in practice, do it in the game or come sit out,” Williams said before Sunday’s loss to Phoenix. “We never want guys thinking about shots, especially when they come in the flow of the offense… Keep working, but don’t show any signs of backing off from taking shots. This is part of any young player’s growth, and all young players go through it.”
In two seasons with the Overtime Elite (OTE), a pro basketball league based in Atlanta, Thompson didn’t show major problems offensively. Last year, he averaged 16.3 points a game while hitting 48.1 percent of his shots from the field, and he also added 7.1 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 2.4 steals and 1.1 blocks a game.
He is one of a slowly growing number of players to bypass college basketball and play in a different pro basketball league while waiting to become eligible for the NBA Draft.
The building Pistons badly need offense in order to become competitive. They have a 2-6 record, and through eight games, they’re 21st in scoring at just 109.4 points per contest. It would greatly help them if Thompson becomes more assertive offensively on a regular basis and picks up his shooting efficiency.
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