Pistons vs. Hornets: Ausar Thompson's Official Injury Report Status
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FINAL UPDATE: Ausar Thompson has been ruled OUT against Charlotte due to illness/asthma.
UPDATE: The Detroit Pistons have downgraded Ausar Thompson to QUESTIONABLE for Monday's game in Charlotte.
Over the weekend, the Detroit Pistons went head-to-head with the Dallas Mavericks. In a game where the Pistons looked to rely on the rookie Ausar Thompson’s defensive skillset to slow down Dallas’s superstar scorer Luka Doncic, the Pistons, unfortunately, lost the young guard during the matchup.
After an 11-minute shift in the first half against the Mavs, Thompson left the game due to an illness. The Pistons initially considered Thompson questionable to return in the second half. The game concluded without him making his way back out onto the floor.
Dallas took care of business on Saturday by putting the Pistons away 142-124. After a slow start, Doncic found major success by continuing a historic streak. Meanwhile, the Pistons looked ahead to their Monday night matchup against Charlotte, hoping to get Thompson back in the mix.
Without an appearance on the injury report, the Pistons are heading into Monday’s game with Thompson expected to be cleared for action. Barring any setbacks, Thompson is slated to appear in his 64th game this week.
Like most rookies, Thompson’s run with the Pistons has been full of ups and downs. Defensively, the rookie has impressed more often than not, showing signs of a possible elite defender in the future.
Offensively, Thompson has flashes, but he’s struggled with his shot. Averaging 25 minutes on a nightly basis, Thompson has averaged 7.6 shots per game from the field. Nearly two of those attempts are taken from beyond the arc.
When it comes to his perimeter scoring, Thompson has lacked efficiency on low volume. With 113 three-point attempts this season, the rookie has averaged just 19 percent from deep. Overall, Thompson has averaged 48 percent from the field while scoring nine points per game.
Although the Pistons aren’t playing for much at this point in the year, this next stretch of games will be valuable to a player like Thompson. As he looks further into his development before preparing for his sophomore effort, Thompson will get plenty of playing time and opportunities to grow as long as he’s healthy moving forward.
