Ausar Thompson Drives Pistons' Future with Offensive Upside

Ausar Thompson is set to be a big-time player for the Detroit Pistons, with Trajan Langdon, the team's president of basketball operations, having high hopes for his offensive development.

What is Ausar Thompson's current status?

The Pistons are looking to build on their successful 60-win season, and Langdon believes Thompson is a significant part of the franchise's future. He took a huge step last year, and as the season went on, you saw how much he impacted the game on both ends of the floor, competing at a high level and being team-first.

How did Ausar Thompson perform defensively?

Thompson emerged as one of the Pistons' primary contributors, winning two Defensive Player of the Month awards and leading the league in steals with 146 in the 2025-2026 season. He averaged 2.0 steals per game and recorded 69 blocks, with the Pistons having the league's second-best regular-season defensive rating of 108.9.

What are the expectations for Ausar Thompson's offense?

Langdon believes Thompson's significance to the Pistons goes beyond his 25.0% three-point shooting this season, and Thompson is focused on improving his game. I’m focused on what I can do to not be in this situation again: it sucks, but you can’t take it back, Thompson said. The Pistons are looking to sign Jalen Duren to an extension this summer and find a reliable secondary ball-handler to pair with Cade Cunningham in the backcourt. And Thompson's defensive production became so effective that one of the Cleveland Cavaliers' offensive game plans was to avoid him at all costs. The tactical adjustment we made was avoiding Thompson, said Kenny Atkinson, the Cavaliers' coach. So the Pistons are excited about their future with Thompson, who has established himself as one of the best perimeter defenders in the league since entering as a first-round pick in 2023.