NBA Draft Headlines
Breaking: Pistons expected to pick Ausar Thompson No. 5 overall in the 2023 NBA Draft
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated22 Jun 2023
In the 2023 NBA Draft lottery, the Detroit Pistons did not have the greatest luck. They were one of three teams with the best odds to get the #1 overall pick. However, they fell to the fifth overall pick in this year’s draft. After having the worst record in the NBA last season, falling out of the Top 3 picks was a gut punch. Ahead of the draft tonight, reports say that the Pistons are expected to take Ausar Thompson with the #5 pick.
According to league sources, Thompson has big supporters in the Pistons’ front office. We all know that Victor Wembanyama is going first overall. Scoot Henderson and Brandon Miller seem to be interchangeable at #2 or #3. Detroit would only need the Rockets at first overall not to steal Thompson from them.
Thompson has taken an unconventional path to the NBA. Rather than doing one year of college basketball or playing overseas, he decided to play for Overtime Elite. Scouts have questioned how ready he will be heading into the league, but that won’t stop teams from taking him in the Top 5-10 picks.
Ausar’s last game in the OTE league. Some of these plays are ridiculous. That block… sheesh 🙄 Piston tomorrow 🙏 #ausarthompson #pistons #nbadraft pic.twitter.com/Vr0K7dJAQc
— Rise Scouting 🪬 (@BurnerDiq) June 22, 2023
Don’t be surprised when you see the Detroit Pistons take Ausar Thompson fifth overall tonight
One player that Thompson has been compared to heading into the league is Andrew Wiggins. The 20-year-old is one of the top defenders in this draft class. He has the ability to guard players on the wing while also taking on players bigger than him.
At six-foot-seven, Thompson will likely be an SF in the NBA or an undersized defensive-minded PF. We’ve seen Draymond Green excel in that kind of role for over a decade with Golden State Warriors. Like Green, Thompson’s biggest overall weakness is his ability to shoot.
If drafted by the Pistons, he’s heading to a team that already has a number of scorers. Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, and Bojan Bogdanovic can handle the majority of the scoring load. He shot 29 percent from deep with overtime elite last season. Shooting is something that can be fixed in the early portion of his NBA career if he puts in the work. Tune into the draft tonight at 8:00 pm EST to see if Thompson does end up on the Detroit Pistons.
