The Detroit Pistons have lost three of their last five games to fall to 7-4 for the season. The main reason behind these losses is the struggles on the defensive side of the ball. The three worst defensive ratings the Pistons had in a game this season came in their last four games.
One of the problems the Pistons are dealing with is Ausar Thompson's inability to stay on the floor. Against the Miami Heat, Thompson played less than three minutes in the first half. After picking up three personal fouls in 2 minutes and 35 seconds of action, Thompson didn't see the court again until the second half. He played a total of 18 minutes in the game.
Ausar Thompson has to learn to play without fouling
This is nothing new for Thompson. He plays a very aggressive and physical brand of basketball. He gets into the body of his opponents, gambles for the ball, and makes plays as a help defender. As a result, he is prone to picking up fouls.
In his fourth season in the league, however, Thompson should be better at this. With Jalen Duren sidelined, he is the second-most important player on the team. He can't afford to play only 18 minutes in a game.
Playing without fouling is a skill. Every elite defender needs to learn it. Because no matter how good you are when you are on the court, you can't be one of the best defenders in the league if you are averaging 27.8 minutes per game, like Thompson.
Maintaining the same defensive impact without fouling as much is not easy. But that is the next step Thompson needs to take in his development as a player. Being able to play 35 minutes and close games for his team will make him a star player. Almost no other player who is considered one of the three best players on a title contender plays as few minutes as Thompson does for the Pistons.
Every single season of Thompson's career, the Pistons have been way better with Thompson on the floor. This year is no different. Detroit is +3.4 points per 100 possessions better when Thompson is playing, compared to when he is on the bench, per Cleaning the Glass. So, getting more minutes out of him will only benefit the Pistons.
His offensive shortcomings are also a big reason why he doesn't play more minutes. But not fouling is low-hanging fruit for Thompson. Once he fixes that, the Pistons will be in a much better spot.
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