Ausar Thompson (right) filled up the stat sheet again Wednesday night along with All-Star teammate Jalen Duren (right).
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DETROIT — After every Detroit Pistons game, no matter the outcome, Ausar Thompson’s routine is consistent.
You can catch him in his uniform, shoes usually still laced, wristband still on, watching film. The Little Caesars Arena locker room attendants don’t have to question who will be the last Piston to leave. Earlier this season, Cade Cunningham advised Thompson not to spend the night there. Though Cunningham made the comment in jest, part of him was serious.
Thompson is a perfectionist. His commitment to his craft can’t be entirely quantified on the stat sheet. Detroit’s 124-116 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday exemplified just how important Thompson is to the Pistons’ long-term success, and why they need him to be this version of himself.
Cunningham and Jalen Duren have solidified themselves as All-Stars and are clearly invaluable to Detroit. They both finished with 29-point double-doubles to lead the team against the Thunder.
But if Cunningham and Duren are the pistons for this car, Thompson is the catalytic converter. As Detroit looks to carry its regular-season momentum over into the playoffs, Thompson’s impact will be the driving force. He wreaks havoc each time he’s on the hardwood, as evidenced by his team-high 144 stocks (101 steals and 43 blocks) on the year.
Thompson finished with 11 points, seven assists, four rebounds, three steals and two blocks on Wednesday. He was a plus-15 in 28 minutes, trailing only Cunningham. Whether it’s his refusal to be screened, point-of-attack defense, weakside rotations or intuitive cutting, Thompson plays winning basketball. The Pistons are 21-4 this season when he plays at least 27 minutes.
“You know how people have offensive modes where they feel like they’re on fire?” Thompson told The Athletic. “I feel like I have defensive modes like that. So when I get in modes like that I’m like, ‘Yeah, this guy’s not scoring. Or it’s going to be really hard.’”
Does he see himself as one of the league’s best defenders?
“One thousand percent. I think I’m the best,” he said. “But I can always get better. And I know there are a lot of great defenders, but that’s just the way I feel.”
Thompson played just 17 minutes in the Pistons’ loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Monday. Detroit coach J.B. Bickerstaff said Thompson’s limited minutes were a result of Ron Holland II playing well, adding that he wanted to reward the second-year wing with more playing time.
While that’s understandable, Thompson completely changes the way opposing teams gameplan. Thunder coach Mark Daigneault recognized Thompson’s value the first time the two teams met, a 2023 preseason game in Montreal.
“We played them a couple times in that preseason, and he was impressive,” Daigneault said. “Just the toughness, discipline and athleticism. He’s got the mentality to go with it — his brother (the Houston Rockets’ Amen Thompson) does, too. Those guys are just great competitors, they bring the fight to the other team. They attack the ball and you have to account for them. … He’s a huge part of why they have the disposition that they do.”
Per CleaningTheGlass, Thompson entered Wednesday with a three percent steal rate and a 1.5 percent block rate, which rank in the 97th percentile and 94th percentile, respectively, for wings. Steal percentage accounts for how many a player gets per team play, while block percentage accounts for the number of opposing shot attempts a player blocks.
Pistons center Paul Reed even joked that Thompson loves to steal his blocks.
“I might be trying to meet something at the rim,” Reed told The Athletic. “He’ll just come out of nowhere and block a shot off the glass.”
Now THAT's #DetroitBasketball https://t.co/ZGAZuJ6z9A pic.twitter.com/LK5Ub2cRYd
— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) February 26, 2026
Bickerstaff shed light on what allows Thompson to be so impactful for Detroit defensively.
“His ability to not force two (defenders) into an action is it,” Bickerstaff said. “A lot of times when you play pick-and-roll, your big guy has to get involved because they create some sort of advantage. … His ability to get through screens and get back in front of his man so you don’t ever have to bring two (defenders) to the ball lets our defense continue to play five-on-five instead of playing five-on-four or four-on-three.”
Duren is most often the big man in those pick-and-roll situations with Thompson.
“The way he slides his feet laterally and just in general, it’s kind of like he’s floating,” Duren said. “You could say it’s his instincts; he plays the passing lanes really well. He’s a great defender, so he does a lot of things really well. But for me, watching him slide his feet, and that might be something small for people, but that’s a true skill.
“Being able to move that way effortlessly, being able to move with (offensive players), being able to cut people off, being quick, second jumps, he’s a freak athlete. That’s what impresses me the most. But he’s an all-world defender, so he has all types of attributes.”
Thompson’s versatility and willingness to impact so many facets of the game despite scoring sparingly can’t be overstated. Cunningham and Duren may control Detroit’s ceiling. But Thompson is the floor raiser.
“I think I’m best in a lot of situations,” Thompson said. “I think if you need me to be a point-of-attack (defender), pick up to slow down the clock or get over screens, I can do that. If you put me off-ball and have me as a roamer, I’m really good at that because I can block shots and be in the passing lanes. Those are my two strongest (attributes).
“I want to get better at guarding a lot bigger people, though.”
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Hunter Patterson is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the Detroit Pistons. Before joining the NBA staff, Hunter was an editor on The Athletic’s news desk and provided occasional Sacramento Kings coverage. Prior to The Athletic, he worked for the NBA as a broadcasting assistant. Hunter graduated from Loyola Marymount University and earned his master’s degree in Specialized Journalism at the University of Southern California.
