Ausar Thompson despite the loss: 6/7/5/4/3
https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401871337
6 points
7 rebounds
5 assists
4 steals, 3 blocks
2⁄6 FG, 0/1 3PT, 2⁄2 FT
2-3 years shooting practice and forget
Given how rare shooting leaps tend to be, I think it’s genetic tbh
Imagine how’d the NBA would look if every dude could just hire the best shooting coach, copy Steph’s form, and just grind FTs to be good shooters on volume.
Andre Drummond and Blake Griffin (both former Pistons) developing shots is inspirational
Jason Kidd only made 3s consistently near the end of his career. Not in his prime
I remember all the early internet posting about Ason Kidd.
It was fun seeing that nickname return in the 2k MyTeam community because for a bit they always gave him a dogshit shot
Brook Lopez too
Kidd didn’t have a completely broken jumper
The minute Andre Drummond developed a decent 3 point shot was the moment I no longer believed these arguments
Drummond’s shot was always going to be better from three because his touch is so abysmal and strong the further away he is the better and he improved them
That’s why he’s a great heaver and also he used to go further from the line because he perma overshoots it
He was also one of the worst free throw shooters of all time in Detroit
He improved by going back a couple of feet at the line because again he overshoots everything
I wonder if trying to develop a bank shot within 15 feet would help Ausar
It’s mental more than genetic
These players are great in prac but suck in game due to pressure
You simply cannot replicate in game pressure with millions watching and 20k in arena
I don’t think it’s the people watching
Practice and games are just wildly different levels of defensive intensity and exhaustion, and same for regular season vs. playoffs.
Away crowds are shown to be an issue for some guys in the playoffs, but that’s a small subset
Lol if say this you have not played a single sport
Crowd makes a huge difference, it’s not just away crowd home crowd too people watching in general there’s expectations
This applies in every sport, everyone is amazing in prac with no one watching but when people are watching it’s way different and add in obviously defense and everything else
I think you confused my comment as if I was saying crowds don’t matter.
Everyone isn’t amazing in practice, bad players tend to look bad in practice and good players look good. Plenty of players don’t drop off much to games if we’re talking all sports now, and not just shooting in basketball (at least that’s what I was commenting on).
There are so many factors involved and a crowd is only one piece.
Let’s say you’re right - the Covid bubble is a pretty nice test for that hypothesis. The main pattern detectable from the bubble was the improvement of “away” team performance through shooting. Teams did make a slight improvement in shooting overall without fans, but a much smaller impact and mixed in terms of significance for each metric.
https://digitalcommons.lib.uconn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1820&context=srhonors_theses
That suggests that the presence of fans only has a minor impact on shooting, dwarfed in comparison by home/away factors (which other studies suggest have a range of impacts but also mostly not due to fans themselves, travel, routine, arena familiarity and some strategic and psychological differences are the brunt of the driving factors).
I haven’t seen any evidence to suggest crowds drive a meaningful change in shooting in and of themselves, and intuitively for anyone who has played sports the biggest difference between practice and games is the intensity of play and the pressure of the result mattering more - not because people are watching from home but because a game result actually matters.
I’d maybe buy the argument more for college players and not practice vs game but regular game vs. something like the final four. But I still think that’s internal psychological pressure more than “oh shit a bunch of people are watching on tv”
If Lu Dort did it I have confidence that anyone can
It’s the exact opposite of genetic lmao
Amen can have 1 phone call after 6 months
I don’t think it’s fixable lol
Dude needs to do to the Dagestan equivalent for learning how to shoot (wrestle)
His defense is so amazing I love the Thompson bros
But their offense (jump shooting) at the moment is sooo putrid.
I’m restating what everyone else is always saying, but it’s insane how they’re completely elite vs complete garbage in the two most valuable traits in modern basketball
(jump shooting)
FTFY
Amen is actually a decent midrange shooter. Ausar on the other hand…
Is it realistic to expect the Thompson twins to evolve into multi-level scorers? Rn their defense is insane but the offense is rough, can it be fixed?? (u know like how Jimmy butler, Kawhi and stephon Castle developed)
Doubt either will ever be a legit 3pt shooter. Best they can get to would be like 30% on 1-2 wide open looks a game. But Amen can score from midrange a bit, he’s not solely a paint player
Maybe amen can get more going, but I don’t think Ausar is gonna get a jump shot tbh.
(Although it looks like he’s getting more comfortable with 3s weirdly)
If he doesn’t have a jumper next season Pistons will be in trouble
They are not alone…
If the twins could shoot. The what if story
Amen is probably capable, but I think ausar is cooked
Who ever their youth coaches were deserve to be named and shamed
Their youth coaches produced two NBA contributors who will make millions and millions of dollars. They are both absolutely tremendous success stories for any youth coach
They’re cooked then lol
It’s not going to suddenly appear out of nowhere. He literally has nothing to build off of. They’ll be lucky if he has one league average shooting year in his entire career.
https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/202401200DET.html
he hit 2 3s against yall 😤
Seems impossible.
4 steals, 3 blocks, 3 offensive rebounds is a lot of impact.
Seen plenty of Lu Dort and Cason Wallace statlines that look worse than that and still were crucial in getting wins.
Pistons need more scoring, but it doesn’t necessarily need to come from Thompson
Dort and Wallace can sometimes make threes though. Like there’s a difference between 35% and a guy who’s career 20% from the arc
Put him at the dunker, get him screening, there are ways to cover for a lack of 3 point shooting when you have a player this athletic
Eh, when you get to the playoffs it gets harder and harder, and what you described only really becomes viable if they have a floor stretching 5.
I’m not saying he’s an unworkable player, but it’s a pretty devastating flaw to have.
I agree. But I think he can fit on a championship team. If I’m the pistons GM, I’m not looking to trade him, I’m looking for complementary pieces.
Secondary creator, stretch 5, more shooting would all be on my shopping list
Same. I think you’d rather keep Ausar than Duren. Which might be the decision they have to make. It’s just that his lack of shooting might force that tough decision.
What the hell happened to Duren, dude’s been so disappointing after a great regular season
82 game player sadly
He’s never going to be more than a role player without a miraculous uptick in his shooting and/or finishing ability
They should trade him while he still has value on a rookie contract. The second they extend him and he still hasn’t learned to shoot (which id bet my life he won’t), he’s suddenly a much less attractive asset
There’s no point building around a complete non shooter that isn’t 7 feet tall
That’s fine, championship teams need role players
He’s elite enough defensively that he earns his spot. You don’t want to overpay him, but he’s not a “dynasty starts after me” guy
Lu Dort was left wide open in game 5 of playoffs series and hit 4 3s in 4th quarter. Ausar will never do that
Bigger problem will be if they pay Duren. Pretty much capped as a 2nd round team the moment his extension hits.
Who could have predicted that drafting dudes like Ausar and Ron Holland who can’t shoot would lead to shooting problems
If they make a chimera of Ausar and Duncan Robinson, he will be 2nd star the pistons are looking for.
He desperately needs offense, his defense is stellar though
5 assists is encouraging. He should have an elite driving game.
He can’t even make open layups. I don’t think his form looks terrible. He has no lift tho, all of his jumpers are short
The indecisiveness on offense and ability to attack any area of space is the bigger issue than the jumper tbh. He’s also very dependent on Duncan Robinson offensively with that movement, give go game and being able to be used as a screener with all the space he gets.
Yeah. Just a non factor on offense outside of rebounding.
Short Ben Simmons
Tony Allen
Tony Allen was 6’3 and half the athlete
Non-French Joakim Noah
completely different. Simmons was so afraid of taking free throws that it effected everything for him.
King of the quintuple single
Bahh GODDD thats Draymond green’s music!!!!!!!!!!
This box score isn’t indicative of his impact on defense and how many possessions he created
The Draymond Green of Amen Thompsons
He gonna have 5x5 some day
He’s the best non-Wemby defender in the sport by far. He just needs to take after his twin and add a dribble drive to his game if he’s not going to shoot. Amen can still score 20 without ever shooting a jumper.
He is undisciplined at times though on D. Still elite there
4 steals, 3 blocks, 3 offensive rebounds.
Dude was killing tbh.
All these posts are using “despite” wrong. Cade dropped 39 despite the loss. Thompson and Duran playing poorly was in service of, not despite, the loss.
We really are cooked man
Even being the freakiest of freak athletes can only get you so far in the NBA if you don’t have actual basketball skills.
he is so fun to watch on defense man
Best wing defender since Kawhi, or maybe even better
Tripped at the end of regulation but who’s counting
I’m counting, 3-2.
Only hard fouls!
That man is a menace.
The good ole Draymond.
There doesn’t need to be a “despite the loss” thread for every individual player.
Sure, only half of them
Who do you think will get a 5x5 first: either of the Thompson twins or Scottie Barnes? They seem like the best candidates right now.
Well, assuming Wemby doesn’t do it by, like, this weekend.
Those 4 for sure. I could see Flagg doing it too he’s a sleeper with potential.
I think Ausar is an incredible asset (for now).
Just have him develop a 3pt shot at a 38% rate and he’s one of the most defensive wings in the league. Big IF though cause both the twins are some of the most horrendous shooters I’ve ever seen.
Houston/Detroit need to put clauses on the contract that unlock if they shoot above 35% from three or some shit.
I feel like this probably understated how negative an impactful offensive player Ausur has been
Are the Thompsons Ben Simmons with better PR?
They are guard/wing Ben Simmons without the injuries and they actually love basketball.
Draymond ass stat line.
200 million?
He has a Draymond stat line but can’t do Draymond things.
6 pts 7 boards???
People using this to dunk on Ausar are showing their ass. We need shooters around Cade, if there’s one who isn’t I want Ausar…
I don’t need him to develop a jumper, I just need him to attack the rim or develop a floater game or something, just something to go to
He is a insane
His defense is stellar but he really needs to work on offense
90% of this was in the first five minutes of the game
3 4 5 6 7, what a stat line
If he could shoot 34% from 3
Pistons win this easily if they had Amen instead lol.
He has a good handle
Prime Draymond Green statline lmao
His ceiling is peak draymond green
“Best wing defender”
The Super Roberson, this dude’s defensive to offensive skills is so inverted
“Brunson stopper” they said
Not every player needs to be a shooter. He just needs to be able to drive and make his free throws. I still believe he shouldn’t be subbed out in clutch time for that. His defense was better than anyone else, and clearly they needed that.