The Detroit Pistons have yet to sign Jalen Duren to a new contract, but they just took care of another important item on their offseason agenda. Ausar Thompson, who was eligible for an extension heading into his fourth season in the league, signed a five-year, $155 million contract with the Pistons.
There was an expectation that this extension would get done without any bumps. Some were wondering whether Duren had to sign his new contract first, just so that the Pistons could see what they had to offer Thompson. It turns out that the sides were already very close to an agreement and landed on a favorable deal for both sides.
Even if Thompson doesn't improve significantly going forward, a $31 million per year contract isn't going to be an albatross for the Pistons. It may be an overpay for the player Thompson currently is, but not by a lot. At the end of the day, Thompson is one of the best defenders in the league and is a true difference-maker as a disruptor. His athletic and physical tools should keep him at that level for the duration of this contract.
However, the Pistons would ideally want Thompson to be on a team-friendly contract. Any time you sign a long-term extension with one of your players, the hope is that they exceed the average annual value and become a favorable deal.
Thompson needs to take significant steps forward in a couple of areas for that to be the case.
Shooting is not the main area of improvement for Ausar Thompson
The focus is obviously on Thompson's shooting, but that is a small part of his shortcomings. Thompson's limited offensive value comes from his offensive rebounding and transition play. This makes him a liability in the half-court.
The 23-year-old small forward's jump shot is so far from even being average; Pistons fans shouldn't count on it ever getting there. Instead, it's everything else in his offensive game that needs to improve.
Thompson has to be a better ball-handler, passer, finisher, and overall scorer. Given that his shooting is never going to be a reliable weapon, he needs to be able to be a solid on-ball option. This requires him to beat his defender one-on-one and create shots for himself and others.
For a player with his athletic and physical abilities, Thompson is a bad finisher around the basket. Whether it's the fear of getting fouled because of his poor free-throw shooting or just avoiding contact, Thompson can't score around the rim. This prevents him from increasing his usage rate or scoring average.
If Thompson can get a floater game or improve his layup package, he could be an effective cutter. He could also get to his spots on the ball and rise up inside the paint. As long as he can be a solid finisher inside the arc, his shooting won't matter as much as people think.
If his shooting gets there, that will be the icing on the cake. It would also make him a max-contract type of player.
Detroit doesn't need him to be there. If he can be more involved offensively, increase his usage rate to over 20%, his points per game to over 15, and his True Shooting% to above the league average, then he would be closer to a two-way player.
Considering his elite defense, this would make him worth well over $31 million per year.
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