The Detroit Pistons Nailed Their 2023 NBA Draft Picks
The Detroit Pistons were clearly hoping for some lottery luck last May, but ended up dropping as far back as they possibly could, which made the fan base.. well, slightly depressed.
However, as it turns out, the Pistons came away with two players in the draft who look like slam dunks for where they were selected.
Let's talk about them.
Ausar Thompson
It's difficult to put into words just how good, defensively, this rookie class is. Victor Wembanyama, Holmgren, Cason Wallace, and of course Thompson are all absolute dogs on that end of the floor.
Thompson is already one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA, at just 20 years old. He's hounding ball-handlers, switching effortlessly, playing passing lanes, and swatting everyone in sight.
Oh, and he's leading all rookies in rebounding too, because ... why not?
Thompson's full line is ridiculous: 11.4 points, 10.0 rebounds (including a whopping four of them on the offensive glass), 3.7 assists, 1.9 blocks and 1.3 steals.
I don't think I even fully comprehend what he's doing out there. Most rookies tend to spend their first year scaling back a bit, at least early on, to absorb the speed of the game, and to find their rhythm.
Thompson ignored that trend and has decided to be as involved in as many plays as humanly possible. He's just constantly doing stuff, which means his long-term projection is nothing short of outstanding.
Instead of being a defense-only player, who doesn't do much on offense, Thompson is constantly cutting, moving the ball, driving with the ball, and is constantly making his presence felt. He understands his own limitations as a shooter, but never turns down an open jumper, and makes sure defenses remember him when he's putting up shots around the rim.
It's the right approach, and the right way to not have defenses cheat off of you. Thompson looks like a savant, who will be in the DPOY conversation for the next decade.
Marcus Sasser
Look, I don't know what exactly is going on between Monty Williams and Jaden Ivey. But with Ivey not playing, at least Marcus Sasser has filled his role.
The No. 25 pick is ready to contribute, to an extent I find fairly surprising. Similar to Thompson (or perhaps due to Thompson), Sasser isn't holding back. The 23-year-old is hitting almost 44% of his long-range bombs, averaging almost 11 points per game, and is looking every bit as a future combo guard who can handle a significant minutes burden off the bench.
Maybe most impressively is Sasser's control of the ball. He isn't one to take risks with the ball in his hands, nor is he afraid to give up the rock when he feels pressured. As a result, he has just seven turnovers in 211 minutes this season, which may be become a trend for him as his career progresses, not dissimilar to how teammate Monte Morris has made his career.
While Sasser doesn't necessarily have great size - standing just 6-foot-2 - he's strong and unafraid of contact. He's yet to leverage that into free throws, but he absorbs plenty of bumps and pushes on the perimeter, and looks comfortable in that environment. As he develops further, and likely puts on even more weight, that should negate his otherwise small stature.
Unless noted otherwise, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.
Want to join the discussion? Like Draft Digest on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest NBA Draft news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.