Two points, three rebounds, and one assist across 24 minutes of playing time. It’s hard to picture a more underwhelming individual stat line.
But in the Pistons’ Feb. 6 win over the New York Knicks, one of the closest challengers to Detroit’s first-place standing in the Eastern Conference, there were few players on the court more impactful than Ausar Thompson. Shadowing New York star point guard Jalen Brunson, Thompson held his mark to a 4-for-20 shooting performance from the floor — and 0-for-8 from beyond the arc.
The former fifth overall pick showed flashes of shutdown potential in his first couple of years with the Pistons. But this season, Thompson has harnessed his unique combination of length and athleticism to become one of the NBA’s best perimeter defenders.
Thompson’s stats haven’t changed much. He’s been good for four defensive boards, a pair of steals, and a block per night. Those numbers are similar to his previous seasons, but like the rest of the Pistons, Thompson has made a leap this year.
And he’s a perfect example of how a player doesn’t have to stuff the stat sheet to be considered elite.
Key Cog in Detroit Defense
Detroit’s close-fisted approach out of possession has led them to the second-best defense in the NBA. They’ve dominated in the paint, allowing just 42.8 points per game. Furthermore, the Pistons have posted a plethora of blowout wins by playing bully ball.
But that interior dominance wouldn’t be possible without a shutdown presence on the perimeter. That’s exactly what Thompson has provided.
Leveraging his rare wingspan and fluid movement abilities, the third-year player has caused fits for opposing wings and ball handlers. He’s in the 99th percentile in defensive plus-minus, and his ascension correlates with the Pistons’ collective success in that same area.
Yet the numbers don’t tell the whole story. Thompson’s sticky coverage has allowed Detroit to focus more resources on its inside game, a key strength that allows the Pistons to play their own style of game and dictate the flow of their matchups. When that’s been the case, they’ve rarely been brought down.
Detroit Relies on Ausar Thompson
The Pistons haven’t needed Thompson to put up eyebrow-raising statistics. However, he’s still a critical component in Detroit’s recipe for success.
Against other competitors at the top end of the NBA standings, Detroit has commonly placed Thompson on an island with the league’s best scorers, regardless of position. His tight coverage at the point of attack, coupled with a game-breaking ability to blow up screens, has been crucial in limiting his marks from creating efficient shots.
In last year’s 4-2 playoff series loss to the Knicks, more often than not, Detroit came off on the wrong end of a Brunson isolation basket. Four of those six games came down to one possession, and the star guard’s shotmaking under duress was a massive deciding factor between two evenly-matched teams. But in Thompson’s last few battles with Brunson, the former has come out on top.
A breakout year from center Jalen Duren and an MVP-caliber body of work from guard Cade Cunningham have elevated the Pistons to the zenith of the league. But the play of Thompson will be no less important in keeping them there.
Uncertainty Without Thompson
Recently — with the San Antonio Spurs as an exception — Detroit has conquered a variety of contenders. Victor Wembanyama has been impossible to defend by anyone’s standards. But in the last couple of matchups between the two squads, it’s been the Spurs’ backcourt that’s given the Pistons the most trouble.
Part of that has directly coincided with Thompson missing time on the court. On Feb. 23, he made headlines when Detroit head coach J.B. Bickerstaff disliked his reaction to an exchange and benched him for the entire second half.
Without Thompson on the floor, San Antonio guard Devin Vassell carved up the Pistons to the tune of 28 points, shooting 7-for-11 from beyond the arc. Detroit’s offense couldn’t keep pace, and it fell, 114-103.
And in last Thursday’s rematch at Frost Bank Center, when Thompson left the game in the first quarter with an ankle injury, Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox took advantage. He dropped 29 points to sink the Pistons once again — the highest figure they’d given up to a guard since Vassell’s performance just a few weeks earlier.
Numbers Can Lie
Some of Detroit’s other impressive wins, over Oklahoma City and Cleveland, came in games where their opponents lacked superstars like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Donovan Mitchell. If they’re struggling to find the likes of Vassell and Fox without Thompson, it’ll be an uphill battle to manage bigger names in the postseason.
If Thompson’s injury results in an extended absence, Detroit will find it more and more difficult to compensate for his considerable defensive impact. In a league where so much discourse centers around statistical totals, Thompson proves that the numbers that accompany a player’s name only indicate so much about their impact on the court.
Thompson’s 10/6/3 per night isn’t going to blow box score watchers out of the water. But his role in the Pistons’ dominance transcends those metrics.
And if Detroit wants to end up as champions come June, it’ll need Ausar Thompson to help it get there.
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