With February in the rearview, the NBA announced the league’s Rookies of the Month. Detroit Pistons rookie Ausar Thompson was in the conversation, but ultimately lost out to Charlotte Hornets standout, Brandon Miller.
Miller, selected a few picks before Thompson in the 2023 NBA Draft, averaged 21 points, five rebounds, and two steals per game throughout his stretch in February. He managed to start and play in 14 of the Hornets’ 15 games
As for the Pistons rookie, he made 11 appearances throughout February, coming off the bench in two of those matchups.
Throughout the month, Thompson averaged nearly 30 minutes on the court. With significant playing time came big opportunities for Thompson to improve his shooting. He wasn’t much of a threat from deep, scoring on just 29 percent of his three-point attempts, but Thompson was still efficient overall, knocking down 57 percent of his shots from the field.
The rookie guard averaged 11 points throughout the 11-game stretch. Outside of his scoring, he came down with six rebounds per game and snatched two steals and a block per outing.
Thompson joins Toronto Raptors standout Grady Dick, and Miami Heat’s high-flyer Jaime Jaquez Jr. as one of four nominee for the award.
On the Western Conference end, the two most notable figures in the Rookie of the Year race Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama were nominated, along with Utah Jazz’s Keyonte George and Ausar’s brother, Amen Thompson of the Houston Rockets.
Wembanyama, who averaged a double-double last month, takes home the accolade for West.
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