Detroit Pistons Have Big Plans for Ausar Thompson This Year

Heading into his third NBA season, Ausar Thompson’s role continues to grow with the Detroit Pistons.

By now, everybody understands that Thompson’s greatest strengths are his athleticism and defense. The head coach, JB Bickerstaff, seems to see more in him, which leads to a potential ball-handling role in 2025-2026.

According to The Athletic, Bickerstaff recently stated that having Thompson playing on the ball is something the Pistons are “going to do more of” moving forward. As Detroit wants to push the pace, they believe that Thompson can be a major contributor in giving them a different look at times.

“The tempo that (Ausar) plays at when he has the ball in his hands, and the threat that he becomes when he has the ball in his hands changes the way that teams have to guard him,” Bickerstaff told reporters, via The Athletic. “He has the ability to make his teammates better.”

Oct 9, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Ausar Thompson (9) drives for the basket against Milwaukee Bucks guard Ryan Rollins (13) in the 3rd quarter at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Thompson has been an x-factor for the Pistons since he came into the league in 2023. During his rookie season, he earned a steady role rather quickly, but his season was derailed when he started dealing with health concerns in the spring.

The setback affected the start of Thompson’s sophomore effort, as he missed training camp, preseason, and multiple weeks of action during the regular season. The Pistons eased Thompson back into action last year and eventually made him a starter for 48 out of 59 games.

This year, the Pistons have Thompson in the mix for a true offseason and are likely to have him in a starting role moving forward.

via @HunterPatterson: Asked J.B. Bickerstaff how Ausar initiating offense works in Cade’s favor and whether they’ll keep exploring that dynamic. “Because of the gravity (Cade) holds, people hug up on him. Now you can play advantage situations off him. … It makes him a better offensive player.”

Asked J.B. Bickerstaff how Ausar initiating offense works in Cade’s favor and whether they’ll keep exploring that dynamic.

“Because of the gravity (Cade) holds, people hug up on him. Now you can play advantage situations off him. … It makes him a better offensive player.” pic.twitter.com/dSsll7u0aW
— Hunter Patterson (@HunterPatterson) October 7, 2025

During his rookie season, Thompson saw the court for 25 minutes on average. He produced 8.8 points per game, making 48 percent of his shots from the field, averaging 18 percent from beyond the arc.

Although his minutes were down in 2024-2025, Thompson was more productive on the offensive end as he averaged 10.1 points, while shooting 53 percent from the field and 22 percent from three. In the playoffs, he showed even more progression on the offensive end of the floor by putting up 11.5 points per game, knocking down 57 percent of his shots.

It seemed the Pistons’ top on-ball options beyond Cade Cunningham were simply Jaden Ivey, Caris LeVert, and Marcus Sasser. Clearly, Thompson is making a strong case to get some looks, as the Pistons want to take advantage of the weapons Thompson brings to the table in year three.