The Pistons announced Wednesday that Thompson will miss the remainder of the season while being treated for a blood clot, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.
Thompson had missed the last six games due to an undisclosed illness, but Charania's report provides some added clarity on the matter. Though Thompson's first NBA season will come to a close, he's been cleared to resume conditioning and will resume non-contact basketball activities around the end of the regular season. The team plans for him to ramp up over the summer and to return to action for the start of the 2024-25 season. Thompson showed promise during his rookie campaign, averaging 8.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.9 blocks in 25.1 minutes per game over 63 appearances.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Absence to continue Wednesday
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Thompson (illness) will be inactive Wednesday against Indiana.
Thompson's next opportunity to take the court comes Friday versus Boston, but the unknown specifics of his ailment put his status in question. The rookie's affliction is being categorized as a medical condition as opposed to simply an illness, and it was referred to as asthma on previous injury reports, making a return tough to estimate.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Won't play Monday
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Thompson (illness) won't play Monday against the Celtics.
Thompson will be sidelined for a fifth straight game Monday with an unspecified illness. The Pistons won't practice Tuesday, so Thompson could struggle to gain clearance for the team's next game Wednesday versus the Pacers.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Another absence coming
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Thompson (illness) won't play in Friday's game against Miami.
Thompson will miss his third consecutive contest due to a medical ailment. His next opportunity to take the court comes Sunday in a rematch against Miami, which marks the front end of a back-to-back set for the Pistons.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Won't play Wednesday
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Thompson (illness/asthma) has been ruled out for Wednesday's game against the Raptors.
Thompson will miss a second straight game due to an asthma flare-up, which should allow Simone Fontecchio to draw another start. Quentin Grimes, Evan Fournier and Marcus Sasser are also candidates for more minutes, while Thompson's next chance to suit up will come Friday versus Miami.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Exits early with illness
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Thompson didn't return for the second half of Saturday's 142-124 loss to the Mavericks due to an illness, Johnny Kane of Bally Sports Detroit reports. He finished with four points (1-7 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 2-4 FT), five rebounds and one steal across 11 minutes.
Thompson had played no fewer than 33 minutes in any of his last six appearances, but he'll finish well below that mark Saturday with the illness cutting his night short. The rookie has struggled mightily from the free-throw line and three-point range since moving back into a starting role Feb. 7, but he's been a strong source of defensive stats during that span.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Fills stat sheet admirably Friday
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Thompson totaled 15 points (6-11 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 1-2 FT), seven rebounds, three assists, two blocks and five steals across 37 minutes during Friday's 110-100 loss to the Cavaliers.
Thompson was excellent Friday, filling out the stat sheet and making his presence felt on both ends of the court despite the fact the Pistons suffered a 10-point loss in the team's 50th defeat of the campaign. Thompson recovered a starting role Feb. 7, and his numbers have been very good since then, as he's averaging 11.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.8 steals per contest across his last 10 outings.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Fills up box score Thursday
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Thompson notched 11 points (5-10 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 1-4 FT), seven rebounds, five assists, three blocks and two steals in 35 minutes during Thursday's 129-115 loss to the Pacers.
Thompson continues to be productive on both sides of the floor since entering the starting lineup Feb. 7. Thursday's contest was the sixth time he's recorded three-plus blocks in a game, and he has recorded at least one steal in each of his 12 games. In his last six starts, Thompson has averaged 12.0 points on 54.0 percent shooting, 5.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.7 steals over 29.2 minutes per game.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Set to play against Clippers
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Thompson (ankle) is available and in the starting lineup for Saturday's game versus the Clippers, Law Murray of The Athletic reports.
Thompson will make his third straight start Saturday after being upgraded from questionable to available despite an ankle injury. The rookie forward is averaging 6.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.0 steals in 25.8 minutes across his last five starting appearances.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Will play Thursday
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Thompson (ankle) is good to go for Thursday's game against the Trail Blazers, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press reports.
The Pistons will be extremely thin Thursday night, so Thompson should get all the run he can handle, making him an attractive fantasy target. He's expected to start alongside Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Mike Muscala and Jalen Duren.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Questionable for Thursday
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Thompson (ankle) is questionable for Thursday's game against the Trail Blazers.
Thompson suffered a left ankle injury in Wednesday's game against the Kings and has been diagnosed with a sprain. It's not yet clear whether he'll be available for the second half of the back-to-back set, but if he's cleared to suit up, he could see an uptick in playing time after Bojan Bogdanovic (calf) was traded to the Knicks on Thursday.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Starts second half
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Thompson (ankle) started the second half of Wednesday's game against the Kings, Keith Langlois of the Pistons' official site reports.
Thompson rolled his ankle in the first half and was forced to go to the locker room for further evaluation. However, he's been given the green light to return and has re-entered the contest.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Heads to locker room
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Thompson went back to the locker room Wednesday with an apparent ankle injury, James L. Edwards III of The Athletic reports.
Thompson got tangled up with Domantas Sabonis and went down after rolling his ankle. While he managed to limp off the court under his own power he'll head back to the locker room. He should be considered questionable to return.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Starting Wednesday
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Thompson will be in the starting lineup for Wednesday's game against the Kings, James L. Edwards III of The Athletic reports.
With Bojan Bogdanovic (calf) watching from the sidelines Wednesday, Thompson will get the opportunity to start, and he'll be joined by Killian Hayes, Jaden Ivey, Mike Muscala and Jalen Duren in the first unit. Thompson should get all the run he can handle given the amount of players who are out for Detroit, so he's someone to consider deploying in daily fantasy leagues.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Provides offensive spark off bench
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Thompson logged 17 points (7-10 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 2-3 FT), seven rebounds, three blocks, one assist and one steal across 27 minutes during Sunday's 111-99 loss to the Magic.
Thompson hasn't made a start since Dec. 23, but after a rocky stretch of production, the rookie lottery pick is starting to earn more minutes while showing improved shooting efficient in addition to bringing his usual energy on the defensive end. Over his last six outings, Thompson is averaging 8.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 1.2 blocks and 1.0 assists in 22.5 minutes per contest while shooting 58.8 percent from the field. Thompson's main appeal still lies in his production in the two defensive categories, and if he can retain a 25-plus-minute role for the balance of the season, he'll likely be worth rostering in 12-team leagues. With the Pistons likely to be sellers ahead of Thursday's trade deadline, the team could move away some wing players or forwards to help clear up more playing time for Thompson.
Thompson supplied 22 points (10-15 FG, 2-2 3Pt), nine rebounds, one assist and one block over 32 minutes off the bench during Saturday's 141-135 loss to the Bucks.
The 2023 fifth overall pick set a career high in points while coming within one board of his third double-double. Thompson is still trying to adjust to playing with the second unit, and the 20-year-old forward has scored in double digits only twice in 13 games since he made his last start. The cellar-dwelling Pistons have begun trading away roster pieces that aren't part of their core, so a spot in the starting five could open back up for Thompson before long. Until it does though, he's little more than a DFS dart throw or dynasty stash for fantasy purposes.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Scoreless in 14 minutes
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Thompson closed Tuesday's 131-110 loss to Sacramento with zero points (0-2 FG), two rebounds and three steals in 14 minutes.
Thompson missed both of his field-goal attempts but made an impact defensively, notching three steals. This was the rookie's first scoreless outing of the campaign, and he hasn't scored in double figures since Dec. 13.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Will start
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Thompson will start Monday's game against the Pacers, James L. Edwards III of The Athletic reports.
With Marvin Bagley (back) and Jalen Duren (ankle) sidelined, Thompson will draw the start while Isaiah Stewart shifts to center. Thompson started the first 18 games of the season, averaging 11.4 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.6 blocks and 1.1 steals in 29.8 minutes, but he had seen reduced playing time to start December with the Pistons amid a terrible losing streak.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Plays 16 minutes in loss
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Thompson contributed four points (2-6 FG, 0-2 3Pt) and seven rebounds in 16 minutes during Saturday's 110-101 loss to the Cavaliers.
Thompson picked up five fouls for the second game in a row, and that's been a recurring issue for the rookie. Over his last eight games, Thompson has averaged 4.4 fouls per contest. To make matters worse for his immediate fantasy outlook, he'll also have to compete with Bojan Bogdanovic for minutes at both forward spots, and the veteran scored 22 points in his season debut Saturday.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Set to play Saturday
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Thompson (face) is available for Saturday's game versus the Cavaliers, Johnny Kane of Bally Sports reports.
Thompson has been upgraded from probable to available Saturday despite suffering a facial fracture against the Knicks. The rookie forward has been replaced by Isaiah Livers in the starting lineup and will wear a mask against Cleveland.
