Ausar Thompson walked into Detroit Pistons media day with a line that said plenty about where he is right now. He said he was "in the best shape of his life," and for Thompson, that wasn’t just offseason talk. It was a sign of how different this summer has been from the ones before it.
That matters because Thompson’s growth is a big piece of Detroit’s long-term picture, especially after the Pistons gave him a lucrative contract extension this offseason. He won’t draw the same kind of attention as one of his teammates if Duren signs, but next season his offensive development is going to get a real look for the first time.
The timing is ideal, because Thompson is doing something he hasn’t been able to do in any previous offseason of his young career: work without health restrictions.
That has not always been the case. Thompson was diagnosed with blood clots at the end of his rookie season and was shut down for the final 19 games.
Detroit had little reason to push him anyway, but the issue went well beyond caution. It was a serious health situation, and it carried over into the next offseason.
He then missed the start of his second season, returned without problems, and later dealt with an ankle injury during the following offseason that limited his work. Even after a mostly healthy season last year, he still hadn’t had the kind of uninterrupted summer that most young players take for granted.
Now he finally has. No restrictions.
No rehab. No setback getting in the way.
That’s a big reason his claim about being in the best shape of his life rings true, especially for a player known around the league as a gym rat.
He also knows exactly what needs attention. After three seasons in the NBA, Thompson isn’t spending this offseason figuring out his body or getting back into form. He’s focused on his game.
The main areas are clear: improving his handle so he can create more, and sharpening his pull-up game so defenses can’t just sag off him. He has also reportedly spent a lot of time working on his shot with coach Fred Vinson alongside Ron Holland II. Shooting isn’t the centerpiece of Thompson’s value, but if it jumps, that would be a bonus for the Pistons.
For Thompson, the biggest development of all is simple. He is finally healthy for a full offseason, and that gives Detroit reason to expect more from what comes next.
In Other News...
Pistons Need This Jalen Duren Standoff Settled Before It Gets Messy
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Detroit has made at least one concession in the latest version of its offer, which suggests both sides are still trying to find common ground. Even so, the clock is the problem now, and the longer this stretches on, the more it risks becoming a distraction for a team that would much prefer the focus stay on basketball rather than contract talk. [Read more 🡒]
Pistons Offense Is Changing In A Way Fans Have Wanted
J.B. Bickerstaff spent part of the offseason talking about the direction of the Pistons offense, and the message was pretty clear: Detroit wants to be more versatile and put more pressure on defenses from the perimeter. The coach said the changes were made with an eye toward adding more three-point shooting and creating a lineup that is harder to guard, a shift that should feel familiar to fans who have long wanted a more modern, spacing-friendly attack.
The personnel moves are only part of it. Bickerstaff also pointed to internal growth as a major piece of the puzzle, expecting Cade Cunningham to keep expanding his role as a leader while Ron Holland continues sharpening the parts of his game that matter most in this system. If those steps come together alongside the new additions, Detroit could look less predictable and a lot more difficult to defend when the season opens. [Read more 🡒]