Pistons’ Ausar Thompson becomes first NBA player to hit dominant defensive milestone this season

The Detroit Pistons have been holding down the fort nicely thus far in the absence of star point guard Cade Cunningham due to a scary collapsed lung situation. While they haven’t exactly faced a murderer’s row of opponents, the Pistons are now 3-0 since Cunningham went out of the lineup, and are holding strong in first place in the Eastern Conference.

One of the biggest reasons why is the play of Ausar Thompson, who remains a terror for opponents on the defensive side of the ball.

In fact, he recently became the first player to hit a prominent defensive milestone this season.

“Ausar Thompson is in a lane of his own this season, becoming the ONLY forward in the NBA to rack up 100+ steals and 50+ blocks.  That’s not just versatility, that’s straight-up defensive dominance from every angle of the floor,” reported ClutchPoints on X, formerly Twitter.

Indeed, the statistical accomplishment speaks volumes about Thompson’s switchability and skills on that end of the floor, and he has become an integral part of what has made Detroit such a strong unit on defense this season.

Similar to his twin brother Amen Thompson with the Houston Rockets, if Ausar ever finds a way to expand his offensive skillset, he could instantly become one of the most overall impactful players in the league.

Meanwhile, the Pistons are cruising toward locking up the number one seed in the East as the season enters its home stretch, and they have done a good job of showing off their versatility and depth over the last week in the absence of Cunningham, although they will certainly hope to have their star point guard back by the time the playoffs arrive.

The Pistons will next hit the floor on Monday night for a home game against the red-hot Los Angeles Lakers.

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