Why Detroit Pistons Have Never Needed Ausar Thompson More Than They Do Right Now

It's always going to take a village.

Building team chemistry and winning consistently in the NBA takes an entire village. However, it's fair to says some cogs in the machine serve bigger purposes than other nuts and bolts. Some tools in the toolbox fix more problems than others.

Pistons forward Ausar Thompson is currently shouldering a load of work that is earning him more dollars on his eventual rookie contract extension. Thompson can become a Restricted Free Agent after the 2026-2027 season.

Thompson racked up an interesting stat line against the Minnesota Timberwolves Thursday night. He scored seven points on just six shots from the field while also dishing out nine assists and collecting nine rebounds off the glass. While Thompson has yet to develop into a volume scorer, his versatility across all other facets of basketball are peaking at the most perfect time.

A pass-first wing

As easy as some superstars make it seem, scoring at a high level in the NBA is not an easy skill to master. Many players expand out of what they know offensively later in their careers and that could very well be the case for Thompson.

Los Angeles Clippers veteran center Brook Lopez didn't start shooting three-pointers until almost a decade after his rookie season. Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo just recently expanded his game beyond the three-point line.

Thompson is focusing on mastering the art of everything else that comes with basketball. He achieved his third straight game with five or more assists. With the absences of superstar guard and main facilitator Cade Cunningham, defensive menace Isaiah Stewart, and now Tobias Harris, Thompson has been asked to wear many different hats on this Pistons squad. Daniss Jenkins cannot be the only offensive playmaker on the court. Jenkins has assumed a huge role offensively since Cunningham's absence.

Giving Jenkins security that someone else can make plays for others when he's in a scoring groove or when his tricks aren't being fallen for can go a long way for an inexperienced guard.

Tobias Harris left the game against Minnesota due to a left knee contusion

Perimeter anchor

Thompson guards the other team's best player on the perimeter no matter who it is. Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards, and Stephen Curry are the kinds of players Thompson is guarding on a nightly basis.

In true Detroit basketball fashion, Thompson has at least two steals in his last six games. Thompson has two or more steals in seven of his last eight games as well.

One of those seven games included a seven-steal night against the Golden State Warriors. He has at least one block in seven of his last nine games. Pistons center Jalen Duren makes it easier to be a pest on the perimeter because having to meet Duren in the paint after miraculously getting through Thompson is another difficult task for an opposing offensive player.

Thompson just turned 23-years-old this past January. His IQ of the game and the value he puts on certain aspects of the game are going to keep him in the NBA for as long as he wants to be. As Thompson's responsibilities continue to grow, especially into the postseason where every possession needs to be maximized to its full potential, more of what he's capable of will shine.

From recognizing holes in defenses and finding open men to boxing out big forwards out of their spot to create second-chance points via offensive rebounds, Thompson has kept Detroit's defense formidable in recent games.