Thompson (ankle) ended with six points (3-5 FG), three blocks, two rebounds and one steal across 24 minutes during Tuesday's 120-112 victory over the Hawks.
Following a four-game absence due to a right ankle sprain, Thompson was cleared to play Tuesday but came off the bench for the first time all season, likely in an effort to help manage his minutes coming off the injury. While he was relatively passive on the offensive end, Thompson recorded four combined steals and blocks to bring value for fantasy managers who activated him. Thompson could eventually reclaim a starting role before long, but even if he remains a bench player, he would continue to be worthy of rostering in most formats if he's able to consistently receive around 25-to-30 minutes.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Not starting Tuesday
Rotowire
Thompson is not in the starting lineup for Tuesday's game against the Hawks.
Thompson is available for Tuesday's game, but it appears he'll be working with the second unit in his return from a four-game absence. Expect fewer minutes for Ronald Holland and Caris LeVert with Thompson active.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Upgraded to available
Rotowire
Thompson (ankle) is available for Tuesday's game against the Hawks.
Thompson is concluding a four-game absence due to an ankle sprain. There's no indication of any minutes restriction for the 2023 first-rounder. Thompson has averaged 13.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.8 steals in 29.1 minutes per contest through 10 games this season.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Iffy for Tuesday
Rotowire
Thompson (ankle) is questionable for Tuesday's game against the Hawks.
Thompson is in danger of missing a fifth straight game with an ankle sprain. His status figures to be updated closer to Tuesday's tipoff. If Thompson cannot go, Ronald Holland and Javonte Green should continue to play meaningful minutes in the Detroit frontcourt.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Won't play Monday
Rotowire
Thompson is out for Monday's game against the Pacers with a right ankle sprain.
Thompson participated in Monday's morning shootaround, though he'll miss his fourth consecutive game. The forward has a short turnaround if he wants to return for Tuesday's tilt in Atlanta. Javonte Green will likely continue to play heavy minutes against the Pacers.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Goes through shootaround
Rotowire
Thompson (ankle) participated in Monday's morning shootaround, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Thompson has missed the past three games for Detroit but seemed to be moving well at the morning shootaround. He's listed as questionable to face Indiana on Monday, but he may be closer to probable following this update.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Questionable for Monday
Rotowire
Thompson (ankle) is questionable for Monday's game against the Pacers.
Thompson has missed the past three games for the Pistons, but he's been upgraded to day-to-day ahead of this contest. Presumably, the Pistons will see how he responds to shootaround before a decision is made. If he's sidelined yet again, the team may continue to rely on Ronald Holland and Javonte Green.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Won't play Monday
Rotowire
Thompson (ankle) has been ruled out for Monday's game against Washington.
Thompson will miss his first game of the season due to a right ankle sprain. The wing has started all 10 of Detroit's games, averaging 13.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.8 steals in 29.1 minutes per contest. Javonte Green is a candidate to move into the starting lineup and see an uptick in minutes Monday.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Strong two-way showing
Rotowire
Thompson ended with 14 points (6-10 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 1-3 FT), five rebounds, four assists and three steals across 34 minutes during Sunday's 111-108 win over the 76ers.
Thompson didn't stand out in any particular category, but the versatile forward had another strong showing and recorded at least three tallies in four of the five major categories. Thompson has scored in double digits in all but two of his 10 games. While it's still early, he's posting career-best numbers in several categories, averaging 13.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.8 steals per game while logging 29.1 minutes per contest.
Thompson registered 14 points (7-14 FG), six rebounds, four assists, one block and three steals across 34 minutes during Friday's 125-107 win over the Nets.
Thompson had himself another fruitful night, scoring double digits for the seventh time in the first nine games, while also recording four combined steals and blocks. Although his playing time has been a little inconsistent, Thompson has proven himself to be a key piece for the Pistons, averaging 13.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.8 blocks in 28,5 minutes per game.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Will play vs. Orlando
Rotowire
Thompson (illness) has been cleared to play in Wednesday's game against the Magic.
Thompson has been dealing with an illness, which threatened to sideline him. The 22-year-old forward has played well over the course of the first four games of the season, averaging 14.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.0 steals per game while shooting 52.2 percent from the field and 16.7 percent from three-point range.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Goes through shootaround
Rotowire
Thompson (illness) participated in Wednesday's morning shootaround, Natalie Kerwin of FanDuel Sports Network Detroit reports.
Thompson is listed as questionable on the official injury report. His participation Wednesday morning bodes well for his status against the Magic, however. Thompson has had a strong start to the campaign with 14.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists through four regular-season contests.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Could handle ball more this season
Rotowire
Thompson could spend more time as a ball-handler this season, Coty M. Davis of The Detroit News reports.
Detroit's backcourt of Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey should handle the bulk of the playmaking duties this year, though it sounds like the Pistons want to utilize Thompson more frequently with the ball in his hands. Thomson holds plenty of nine-category fantasy upside in 2025-26, but he'll likely need to improve his free-throw shooting in order to become a more complete asset in those formats. Over 26 regular-season outings following last season's All-Star break, the 2023 first-rounder averaged 11.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.0 blocks per game but shot just 69.8 percent from the charity stripe.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Efficient in season-ending loss
Rotowire
Thompson finished Thursday's 116-113 loss to the Knicks in Game 6 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs with 17 points (5-7 FG, 7-10 FT), six rebounds, one assist, two blocks and three steals over 23 minutes.
Despite ultimately losing in six games, Thompson came alive late in Detroit's first-round playoff matchup with New York, averaging 19.5 points on 76.5 percent shooting from the field across the final two contests. After missing the end of the 2023-24 season and the first 18 games of the 2024-25 campaign due to a blood clotting issue, Thompson was able to play in 59 of the Pistons' final 64 regular-season outings. Over those 59 regular-season appearances, the 22-year-old forward averaged 10.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.7 steals in 22.5 minutes, establishing himself as one of the best young defenders in the NBA. Still, Thompson will likely look to improve upon his outside shooting, as he shot just 22.4 percent from three and 64.1 percent from the free-throw line this season.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Breaks out in Game 5 win
Rotowire
Thompson closed Tuesday's 106-103 win over New York in Game 5 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs with 22 points (8-10 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 6-12 FT), seven rebounds and two blocks over 29 minutes.
After being held to 10 or fewer points in his previous four games, Thompson finally got into a rhythm Tuesday despite picking up five fouls along the way. What was even more impressive than his 22 points on 8-of-10 shooting was his defense on Jalen Brunson, as he helped to limit him to 16 points on 4-of-16 shooting. This series will shift back to New York for Game 6 on Thursday.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Quiet in Game 4 loss
Rotowire
Thompson recorded eight points (3-7 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 2-2 FT), four rebounds, one block and one steal across 22 minutes during Sunday's 94-93 loss to the Knicks in Game 4 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Thompson was quiet in Game 4 and Jalen Brunson got the better of him once again. Foul trouble has been a problem for Thompson in this series, and through four games he's averaging just 20.8 minutes with 7.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.0 steals on 44.0 percent shooting.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Plays 18 minutes in loss
Rotowire
Thompson closed with seven points (2-3 FG, 3-5 FT), four assists, three rebounds and one steal over 18 minutes during Thursday's 118-116 loss to the Knicks in Game 3 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
The second-year forward delivered another quiet night on the offensive end, though he was efficient while playing fewer than 20 minutes for the first time this series. Thompson is averaging 7.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.0 steals across 20.7 minutes per game during the first round.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Officially off injury report
Rotowire
Thompson (knee) isn't listed on the injury report for Saturday's Game 1 against the Knicks.
Thompson sat out the club's regular-season finale due to left knee patellar tendinopathy, though he'll return for the playoffs. The second-year forward has averaged 12.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.2 blocks across 28.0 minutes per game in his last five outings.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Expected to suit up Saturday
Rotowire
Thompson, who missed Sunday's game against the Bucks due to left knee patellar tendinopathy, is expected to play Saturday against the Knicks.
No surprise here, as the Pistons opted to rest both Thompson and Cade Cunningham (knee) for the regular-season finale. Thompson had a terrific second season, posting averages of 10.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.7 blocks in 22.5 minutes per game.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Very productive despite loss
Rotowire
Thompson closed with 15 points (7-13 FG, 1-1 3Pt), four rebounds, five assists, one block and three steals over 29 minutes during Monday's 127-117 loss to the Kings.
Thompson continues to showcase his upside in nine-category formats for his ability to contribute across the stat sheet. He leads the Pistons in that regard over his last seven games, posting third-round value with 15.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.6 blocks.
