Ausar Thompson, the Offensive Weapon
All Images shot by Zariq Turner for BULLYBALL Media
How can a player who seemingly cannot shoot or score outside the paint, has questionable ball-handling ability, and only above average finishing numbers be one of the most impactful players on the basketball court at all times?
Just watch Ausar Thompson.
It doesn’t take long to see where Ausar’s impact best manifests, and also why, despite his glaring shortcomings, the Detroit Pistons are a considerably better basketball team with him on both ends of the floor.
Winning the Possession Battle
With Jalen Duren returning, the Pistons will have two non-shooters on the court for the majority of the game. That means controlling the possession battle and the paint becomes how you win games.
There is no team-oriented stat more important in the sport of basketball than the possession differential.
It’s simple, the team who has the most opportunities to score has a better chance at winning the basketball game. The multitude of ways that these extra opportunities can be created are undervalued in the current basketball landscape.
In the playoffs, the Pistons ranked second in offensive rebounds, second in box-outs per game (only behind the NBA Champion New York Knicks), fourth in points off turnovers, and also allowed the least points in the paint by opponents (NBA.com).
Despite spacing struggles with clogged driving lanes, the Pistons were able to dominate the painted area most games. The possession and rebounding battle can sway post-season matchups as much as shooting can, and perhaps more.
However, the Pistons had the third worst TO% in the postseason where each possession is crucial, which was of their most crucial struggles in the playoffs.
While the Detroit Pistons may have fallen short of some fans and NBA pundits expectations alike, Ausar Thompson proved he is more than capable of providing immense impact in this regard.
In his fourteen games last postseason, Ausar ranked in the 97th percentile in deflections, 96th in STL%, 99th in STOP%, 96th in rFTOV and 100th percentile in BLK% (databllr.com).
While these statistics are all technically defensive, all are also statistics that are conducive of winning the possession battle.
As perhaps the best stock generator in the league, while also taking on the toughest matchup on a nightly basis, Ausar is still an unbelievable rebounder, finding himself in the 95th percentile in DREB% and 100th in OREB% (databllr.com). His ability to finish and extend possessions is essential in the Detroit Pistons paint dominance we will likely see for the foreseeable future.
“I feel like stepping out of my comfort zone, being extra-aggressive. I make a lot of the right reads, sometimes be a little selfish,” Thompson told BULLYBALL regarding his offensive growth coming into the 2026-2027 season.
Adaptability
Ausar Thompson shot by Zariq Turner
Thompson’s ability to fit wherever needed, in whatever role has been imperative to the Pistons recent success, especially in the post-season.
As a primarily off-ball non-shooter, it is necessary to stay active without the ball.
Whether that be roaming the baseline, cutting from the nail or weakside corner, to screening on or away from the ball, Ausar is capable of flowing into secondary options or DHOs to keep the offense moving and the defense shifting.
This ability to move in or out of the offensive structure shows a high-level of processing and understanding of his teammates and the offense in totality.
It may not always look pretty, the statistics show his effectiveness. Ausar’s creation & decision making is also a skill that is neglected when evaluating him as a player.
A phenomenal playmaker with the ball in his hands, in the playoffs Ausar boasted 8.6 potential assists per 100 possessions, placing him in the 81st percentile (databllr.com).
His ability to make quick reads to rollers, skip passes to shooters and make decisions from the middle of the floor when running in transition stand out despite the aforementioned limitations.
When not involved in the offense combined with his lack of perimeter shooting, Ausar’s defender is able to completely roam off their assignment and blow up any actions in the middle third of the court, which was displayed in both the series against Orlando and Cleveland.
When teams are able to camp the painted area and help from the nail to stop dribble penetration, the Pistons offense often comes to a halt with the lack of shooting and non-Cade Cunningham creation outlets.
Using Ausar as a screener (or ball-handler) can mitigate some of these issues by instead forcing defenders closer to the ball, creating gaps weak-side or opening up single-side actions. When teams hard-hedge against PnR, Thompson is able to roll into space, get downhill and create in these 4v5 scenarios.
If teams are in drop coverage, the ball-handler is then able to get downhill where Ausar is a more than adequate lob threat. As the playoffs continued, we saw more positive results in this action, however, it was not enough.
Understanding and properly utilizing outliers only helps further develop not only players, but the game as a whole.
While shooting has dominated offensive discussions over the last decade, with a little creativity, Ausar has found a way to be a consistent weapon for the Detroit Pistons’ offense.