Troy Weaver couldn’t talk about the trade he made Thursday night, swapping the Detroit Pistons‘ No. 31 pick for Boston’s No. 25, and taking Houston’s combo guard, Marcus Sasser — the Cougars that is, not the Rockets.
But he had plenty to say about his first pick of the evening, Ausar Thompson, the versatile wing from Overtime Elite he grabbed with his No. 5 pick. Though he didn’t necessarily need to. Taking Thompson said plenty.
Taking Sasser did, too.
For one, that Killian Hayes might find a diminished role next season if he can’t find consistent confidence; Sasser is a better shooter and though he’s 3 inches shorter than Hayes at 6-2, he’s an equally dogged defender. Kelvin Sampson, Houston’s coach, doesn’t abide players who can’t check, especially on the perimeter.
He’s rebuilt that program recruiting physical, menacing, in-your-face defenders, and Sasser is the latest example. Yet as much as Weaver obviously admires the way Sasser gets into players’ chests, Thompson is the prize on that end of the floor, a potentially floor-shifting prize, despite his questionable shooting.
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“First, we wanted to make sure we get our defense in order,” Weaver said when asked why he chose Thompson over a few other players with more reliable offensive weapons. “Having a guy that can defend ones, twos and threes …”
Yeah, imagine that, and not just defend them, but hound them, frustrate them, because the versatility itself is just a nice idea without the nasty behind it. And while even the best defenders can’t lock up the league’s best scorers, making life miserable for the other team’s alpha is a critical part of winning.
The NBA Finals are simply the latest example, where Denver’s Aaron Gordon slowed Miami’s lead dog, Jimmy Butler. Every title team, or title contender, has a “Gordon.”
Or Andre Iguodala, the player Weaver said reminds him of Thompson. In his prime, Iguodala allowed the Golden State Warriors to run out the “death lineup” that marauded through the league.
Draymond Green may have been the defensive headliner of that group, but Iguodala connected everyone, and his ability to chase 6-9 LeBron James and 6-2 Damian Lillard, for example, is the kind of defensive versatility Weaver craves.
What about his offense, you ask?
It’s a work in progress, and may always be a work in progress, but he has NBA-level possibilities on that end, not least the speed in the open court, the vision with the ball in his hands, the sense of cracks and creases when it’s not, which makes him an astute cutter, an underrated offensive talent, and one that should mesh nicely with Cade Cunningham in particular, and Jaden Ivey, too.
Ivey showed a facilitator’s mind and touch the last couple of months of the season, and between he and Cunningham, Thompson will find a couple of teammates who will enjoy finding him on slips and backdoor cuts.
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Thompson can already envision it, and sees himself as a playmaker, too.
“We’ll have three guys who can facilitate, run the floor, cut …,” he said, “… kind of like a Shea (Gilgeous-Alexander, (Josh) Giddy, Jalen Williams.”
He is speaking of the young trio in Oklahoma City that is decidedly hard to guard even though two of the three — Gilgeous-Alexander and Giddy — are challenged beyond the 3-point line. Giddy, for that matter, is challenged to shoot from anywhere outside the paint, at least for now.
Yet his all-court playmaking complements Gilgeous-Alexander’s all-court scoring and Williams all-range shooting. All of them, though, can handle the ball. None of them check like Thompson might.
“He has a chance to be an elite defender,” said Weaver. “He’ll take a lot of pressure off Cade and Jaden.”
Ideally, he’ll take the other team’s best perimeter defender, and may do that from the start. He’ll need to learn the nuances of the league, but Weaver is convinced he’s ready physically now.
The Pistons were one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA. They were also one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the NBA.
No matter how good a defender Thompson becomes, it won’t matter if Cunningham and Ivey can’t make enough shots.
That’s the model now, and though there are other avenues to getting buckets — rim-running, lob-threats (Jalen Duren), cutting — and the Pistons’ increased athleticism and speed should help that, in drafting Thompson in the high lottery, Weaver is doubling down that Cunningham and Ivey are the future of the offense.
Even so, the Pistons had no shot to win the last couple of seasons unless they outshot their opponent. That’s a small margin. And a smaller path to winning.
Good teams have to win on nights when shots don’t fall … at least some of the time. If Thompson is who Weaver thinks he is, his team will have a better shot to do that.
“I think he’s going to be a pretty early defender in this league,” he said, “at a high level.”
Making shots will be a bonus. Helping the offense won’t. It’s expected, by Weaver and by Thompson.
“I’ve gotten a lot better at it and I’m going to work at it,” Thompson said of his offense. “I’m actually very talented at shooting. You’ll just have to see.”
You gotta love the belief. Because that’s where it starts.
Whether he ever gets there or not is ultimately beside the point. He comes to Detroit with game-shifting potential. That’s all any team ever wants from a relatively high lottery pick — a chance that their choice will change the franchise.
Weaver accomplished that Thursday night.
The rest is up to Thompson.
Contact Shawn Windsor: 313-222-6487 or swindsor@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @shawnwindsor.