'He Made Me Work': Jalen Brunson Doles Out Huge Praise for Pistons' Ausar Thompson

High compliment from a big-time scorer.

Josh Wilson | May 2, 2025

Thompson drew the assignment to defend the high-scoring Brunson / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

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Jalen Brunson was the Knicks' hero and the Pistons' villain, a role further emphasized by his huge three-pointer to all but seal New York's closeout victory in the opening round of the NBA playoffs.

His crafty foul-drawing tactics drew the ire of fans in Detroit and made for an abrasive relationship between the star guard and the Pistons' passionate fanbase. But they'll love the compliments he showered one of their young stars, Ausar Thompson, after the series was over.

"That dude was tough to play against," Brunson said in his postgame presser (H/T Eric Woodyard). He’s big time. And I told him straight to his face after the series, he made me work. I’ve got a lot of respect for him.”

Brunson exploded for 40 points in Game 6, averaging 31.5 points per game throughout the series. He was a huge part of the Knicks' success, so to hear a score-at-will guard like that admit Thompson made it hard for him, it carries water.

Thompson did not get any Defensive Player of the Year votes like his brother, Amen of the Houston Rockets did, but look out for those to come next year and beyond.

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Published May 2, 2025

JOSH WILSON

Josh Wilson is the news director of the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in 2024, he worked for FanSided in a variety of roles, most recently as senior managing editor of the brand’s flagship site. He has also served as a general manager of Sportscasting, the sports arm of a start-up sports media company, where he oversaw the site’s editorial and business strategy. Wilson has a bachelor’s degree in mass communications from SUNY Cortland and a master’s in accountancy from the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois. He loves a good nonfiction book and enjoys learning and practicing Polish. Wilson lives in Chicago but was raised in upstate New York. He spent most of his life in the Northeast and briefly lived in Poland, where he ate an unhealthy amount of pastries for six months.