2023 NBA Draft Live Tracker: Grading every pick made
2023 NBA Draft grade: No. 5 pick Ausar Thompson, Detroit Pistons
Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. USA. Ausar Thompson. G. 5. player. 64
Grade: A
Another home-run swing involving a Thompson twin. The Pistons-Rockets rivalry just got a shot in the arm. The debate over Cade Cunningham versus Jalen Green can now expand to include two twins who will look to elevate their rebuilding teams to contending status.
Ausar is a similarly explosive athlete, but he’s more of a wing than his brother Amen, who handled the ball for their Overtime Elite team. Ausar is the more polished shooter and defender and he’s a talented playmaker in his own right, frequently making advanced reads off drives to the rim.
The Pistons now have a three-headed playmaking monster with Thompson joining Cunningham and Jaden Ivey in the backcourt. Thompson is 6-foot-7 and can hang with wings on the defensive end. Meanwhile, the Pistons have the potential to run, run, run in transition.
From our NBA Draft Big Board:
"Ausar Thompson was named Overtime Elite league MVP. While the spotlight currently favors his brother, Ausar should be getting plenty of top-5 looks himself because of the laundry list of physical attributes he shares with Amen — size, explosiveness, speed, coordination. He’s more comfortable off the ball too, and he’s more advanced on the defensive end. Bigger guards who can blend connective playmaking, star-level finishing, and elite perimeter defense at Ausar’s level, while also being top-top percentile athletes, are not common."