Ausar Thompson cleared to play for Detroit Pistons

Detroit Bad Boys

The NBA cleared Ausar Thompson to return to play in the NBA game after being out since last March after the Detroit Pistons forward was diagnosed with a blood clot issue. The news comes via ESPN’s Shams Charania.

Thompson has remained in good spirits and has been as engaged with the team as allowed by the league. Both Ausar and the Pistons were simply waiting out the process of official clearance from the NBA’s fitness-to-play panel for a return to action. The former No. 5 overall pick has been able to get some work in with the team, but can now ramp up into full five-on-five action.

There is no specific timetable for his return to the floor, but I imagine the team will give him at least a week to get as fully into game shape as possible and then bring him along slowly.

Thompson averaged 8.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists and showed he could defend four positions on the floor during a promising rookie campaign last season.

It’s perhaps only a slight exaggeration to say that the Pistons are in desperate need of everything Thompson can provide them on the floor. They could use a high-level wing defender, another plus rebounder, and someone with some tertiary playmaking skills for when Cade Cunningham sits on the bench.

The trick will be to survive Thompson’s lack of shooting and overall minimal offensive threat. Last season, Monty Williams’ solution to that issue was to plant Ausar in the corner and have him take the open 3s he was gifted. He connected on 18.3% of his threes as a rookie.

This season, it’s somewhat easier to build lineups that allow him to be utilized less as a shooter and more as a roller and cutter on the floor. The Pistons have more shooters on the floor at all times this season, including from their reserve big men Isaiah Stewart and Paul Reed.

Where will Thompson’s minutes come from? That’s a good question. Head coach JB Bickerstaff has experience balancing lineups featuring one or more non-shooters on the floor from his Cleveland days. Beyond big men Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, he also found plenty of run for Isaac Okoro and Caris LeVert.

The latter two are clearly superior threats from distance and mid-range than Thompson, but I do think Bickerstaff is going to be looking to carve out serious minutes for Ausar before too long because of how much he can help establish the team’s defensive identity.

That could mean shaving off a couple minutes from veterans Tobias Harris and Tim Hardaway Jr., who are playing 32.7 and 29.2 minutes, respectively. It could also mean cannibalizing most of rookie Ron Holland’s role. He could also start playing in front of Simone Fontecchio, who has failed to pop in his 18 minutes per game.

Whatever happens, this is a big addition for Detroit. Both for integrating a key young player back into the core of the team, and also for any fans who want to see them continue to scratch and claw their way into victories this season.

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