Ausar Thompson and Keyonte George just signed similar extensions within hours of each other, but the similarities basically end there.
On one side, George is coming off a breakout year that turned heads around the league. He averaged more than 23 points and six assists last season and did it on respectable 45/37/89 shooting splits, looking every bit like a future offensive star.
On the other, Thompson made his mark in a completely different way. He didn’t even average double digits last season, but he emerged as the league’s best perimeter defender and earned first-team All-Defensive honors for it.
That contrast is exactly what makes the deals so interesting. George is a scorer who, by several metrics, was one of the worst defenders in the NBA last season.
Thompson, meanwhile, is a disruptive defender who can’t shoot a lick. Still, both players landed essentially the same contract, with their teams making opposite bets.
The Jazz are hoping George can become good enough defensively to avoid being a liability in the playoffs, while the Pistons are betting Thompson’s offense will catch up and turn him into a true two-way threat.
So which one is the bigger risk?
The truth is, both look pretty safe on paper. George already looks like a budding offensive superstar, and Thompson is already one of the league’s best defenders. Based on what they’ve shown so far, both contracts should age well.
But if you’re asking which player feels safer, Thompson gets the nod. That’s partly because we’ve already seen him hold up in the playoffs.
Weak defenders get hunted when the games tighten up, and teams will run from rotations just as fast because of bad defense as they will because of shaky shooting. Thompson was one of Detroit’s best players in the playoffs last season, and his offense never got him played off the floor.
There’s also the simple reality of player development. It feels a lot more realistic that Thompson can build out some kind of offensive game than it does for George to suddenly become passable on defense. Right now, George is basically a traffic cone, and opponents are going to keep attacking him in pick-and-roll action until that changes.
Thompson’s value also travels in a way George’s current skill set doesn’t. He plays on the wing, can guard 1-4, and can take on the other team’s best player every night.
Those traits matter even when the shot isn’t falling. Guards who can score are easier to find.
So yes, these are two exciting players with very different strengths, sitting on opposite ends of the offense-defense spectrum. The next five years will tell us which front office made the smarter bet, and whether either player can add the missing half to his game.
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