LAS VEGAS — Through two Summer League games, Ausar Thompson feels as though he hasn’t given his best effort. It hasn’t mattered — the Detroit Pistons have been very encouraged by what they’ve seen from him so far.
“That guy, he’s a special talent,” Jalen Duren said.
“At the core of him, he makes winning plays,” added Pistons assistant Jarrett Jack, who’s coaching the team in Las Vegas.
The No. 5 overall pick already has a solid reel of intelligent basketball plays with the Detroit Pistons. His calling card entering the draft was his versatility. He was a Swiss Army knife with Overtime Elite, averaging 16.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 2.7 steals and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 48.1% overall. That versatility has translated.
SUNDAY’S GAME: Jaden Ivey, Ausar Thompson shine for Pistons in Summer League loss to Rockets
SOPHOMORE STAR?: In Summer League, Jalen Duren shows offseason work clicking with Pistons
Thompson’s unselfish approach — and willingness to do the dirty work — has quickly endeared himself to his new team. In his debut Saturday, he tallied seven points, nine rebounds, three assists and three blocks. He followed that with 12 points, eight rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocks in Sunday’s loss to the Houston Rockets.
He has quickly processed the game, and his commitment to making the right play has stood out and made him a frequent target for praise.
“Those winning plays, 50-50 balls, trench rebounds, cutting, pushing the basketball, making the extra pass, sacrificing himself in some instances to cut so someone can get the extra pass on the backside, that’s something you can’t teach,” Jack said Saturday. “That’s something that we want to be a part of and something that he is. I’m excited for his growth.”
Thompson was one of Detroit’s best players Saturday despite scoring a single point in the first half. A go-ahead pass in transition to James Wiseman led to an open dunk. Moments after Detroit secured a defensive rebound, Thompson raced down the floor with the ball and fired it to Jared Rhoden for a 3-pointer from the left corner.
His third and final block of the game led to his first field goal, as he rejected Orlando Magic guard Anthony Black and capitalized on the transition opportunity by finishing a high-arcing layup off of a feed from Marcus Sasser. Scoring hasn’t been a big priority for Thompson thus far — there are other ways to generate offense.
“Right away you just see the length and athleticism that he brings and the IQ,” Duren said. “He still is very raw. The way he affects the game on both ends of the floor is amazing. You can have him on the ball, you can have him off the ball, the defense, he can guard, what I see, about 1 through 5. As he comes through the league and gets more of an understanding of what the game is, he’s going to be a great player.”
Thompson, a gifted athlete, especially above the rim, understands that capitalizing on fastbreak opportunities will be a big key to his success. Sunday’s loss was dotted with such plays.
Despite the Pistons being down by double digits, Thompson brought a lot of fans at Thomas & Mack Center to their feet when, after receiving a bounce pass from Duren, he whipped a bounce pass behind him directly into Wiseman’s hands for a dunk. He was also a target in transition, finishing a dunk following a steal from Jaden Ivey midway through the first period and catching a lob from Ivey midway through the fourth.
Thompson wants the Pistons to be a dominant fastbreak team. With athletes on the roster such as Duren and Ivey, it’s a realistic goal.
“I feel like it’s just important, especially for summer league, to try to get everybody opportunity,” Thompson said Sunday. “Although there’s times I feel like I should be more aggressive, I feel like it’s more of a team game. We’re all learning each other. Players miss me, I miss players, it’s not just one-sided. I feel like as we keep working and building chemistry, we’re going to be dangerous. I feel like we’re the fastest team in the league. When we get out on the break, it’s a bucket almost every time.”
Of course, there’s still room for growth for Thompson as well. His shooting was an issue entering the draft; he shot just 30% from 3 and 67.1% at the free throw line during the Overtime Elite regular season. He has yet to attempt a 3-pointer in Summer League and missed the rim on a midrange attempt.
But it’s everything else — the defensive instincts, heads-up passing and finishing — that makes the Pistons high on his short- and long-term potential.
“You love when guys are made up of those things when they show up,” Jack said. “He’s a guy that’s very, very active. He’s all across the board. With some polishing he can be one of the better two-way players in this league. That’s hopefully what we’re trying to get to at a certain point.”