Ausar Thompson was the answer for the Pistons on Opening Night, and J.B. Bickerstaff didn’t try to dress it up.
Detroit’s head coach pointed to Thompson as the key reason Boston star Jayson Tatum never got comfortable in the Pistons’ 121-113 win over the Celtics. Tatum finished with 13 points on 6-of-23 shooting and missed all seven of his 3-point tries.
“Ausar Thompson, that simple. You get him in one-on-one situations, you're going to be in for a long night no matter who you are,” Bickerstaff said.
Thompson spent most of the night attached to Tatum, chasing him through screens and switches and making sure every look came with pressure. Tatum hunted shots from mid-range, at the rim and from beyond the arc, but never found a rhythm against one of the league’s most disruptive defenders. Thompson’s length, recovery speed and active hands kept bothering the Celtics wing even when the possession seemed to tilt Boston’s way.
That defensive job fit the broader plan for Detroit, which leaned on its depth whenever Thompson needed a breather. Cade Cunningham took on the Tatum assignment at times, and the Pistons also used Javonte Green to offer a different look. Detroit’s rotation bodies helped keep fresh pressure on Boston’s offense throughout the game.
Afterward, Jalen Duren had plenty of praise for Thompson’s impact beyond the box score.
“AT (Ausar Thompson) has been working his tail off, man; just over the years, he's put in so much work. He's a gym rat; he's a guy who just consistently wants to get better,” big man Jalen Duren said after the game.
“He's a guy who loves the game, so I'm not surprised about his progression, and I think he'll only continue to get better. He does so much for us that might not even show up in the stat sheet, but he's so valuable for our team.
We put him in so many different positions and have him guard so many different positions. He does so many things on offense, and he never complains.
He just picks it up and goes with it. He's a hell of a teammate, and I'm glad to be his running mate.”
It wasn’t a pretty night, but it was the kind of win Detroit has made part of its identity: physical, stubborn and built on winning the possession battle when the game gets messy.
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