Ausar Thompson has already established himself as one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA. The third-year forward is an elite athlete who has the physical tools to be a high-level two-way wing. The Detroit Pistons are very well aware of this fact and has reportedly made him close to untouchable in trade talks. While Thompson plays an important part in Detroit's elite defense, he hasn't made himself an indispensable part of this core. In fact, how small his role has been in recent weeks has been particularly disappointing.
Head coach JB Bickerstaff benched Thompson down the stretch in Detroit's loss to the Jazz on Friday. He ended up playing only 16 minutes before following that up with only 24 minutes against the Clippers on Sunday. Thompson played fewer than five minutes in the fourth quarter after struggling all night to slow Kawhi Leonard down.
Ausar Thompson's Lack of Offensive Game Is a Problem
This is not the trajectory the Pistons were hoping to see from their fifth-overall pick. The 22-year-old hasn't taken a step forward on the offensive end as he continues to be a liability there. He still doesn't take any threes and looks nowhere near ready to be a threat from the outside. If anything, his shooting has regressed, as demonstrated by making only 55.7% of his free throws. This makes him hard to trust in crunch time.
Thompson's minutes per game increased from 22.5 to 26.5 this season, but he is still not closing every game for the Pistons. His usage rate has remained the same at 19.1%, and his efficiency has taken a step back. 53.8% True Shooting for a player who almost exclusively takes shots at the rim and in transition is very disappointing. In addition to his free throw percentage, his two-point FG percentage went from 57.2% to 52.7% this season.
The upside for Thompson is still obviously there. He is a devastating transition player and a disruptive defender. He has enough ball-handling and playmaking skills to be optimistic about his future.
The lack of offensive development from Thompson, however, is concerning. His inability to be a threat in the half court is a problem for a team that already has multiple non-shooters, making him a tough fit in certain lineups.
The Pistons are now a title contender and have to make their roster decisions accordingly. Having a perimeter non-shooter makes things difficult and could come back to bite them in the playoffs.