With March in the rearview, the NBA is announcing the month’s biggest standouts. Detroit Pistons forward Ausar Thompson was recognized as the Eastern Conference’s Defensive Player of the Month.
via NBA on X: San Antonio Spurs forward-center Victor Wembanyama and Detroit Pistons guard-forward Ausar Thompson have been named the Kia NBA Western and Eastern Conference Defensive Players of the Month, respectively, for games played in March.
When March started, Thompson was sidelined for a handful of games after going down with an ankle injury on March 5, against the San Antonio Spurs.
After a five-game absence, Thompson returned to the court for the Pistons’ March 15 game against the Toronto Raptors.
Since then, he’s been healthy and available. As expected, Thompson’s value on the defensive end of the floor has been a difference-maker.
Over the 13 games that Thompson played in March, the Pistons won over 60.0% of their matchups. Thompson started each game and saw the court for 25.5 minutes per matchup.
Defensively, Thompson came down with 5.4 total rebounds per game and snatched up 2.5 steals per game. He also blocked 1.1 shots per game.
Ausar Thompson’s Strong Defensive Season
via Pistons on X: “The NBA announced today that Detroit Pistons forward Ausar Thompson was named Eastern Conference Defensive Player of the Month for games played in March.
Thompson (6-7, 205) recorded 32 steals in March, 2.5 per game, and recorded a career-high seven steals in a win vs. Golden State on March 20. Thompson recorded three-or-more steals in six of 13 games played in the month, led the team with a 101.6 defensive rating, and led the Eastern Conference with 46 stocks (STL+BLK) in the month in the month of March.”
Beyond his defense, which is by far his strongest suit, Thompson has been an all-around contributor for the Pistons this year.
In 67 games, he started in all but one game. Seeing the court for 25.9 minutes per game, Thompson has been producing 9.9 points per game, while shooting 51.6% from the field. He’s also averaging 2.9 assists per game, along with 5.8 rebounds per game.
By coming up with 135 total steals, Thompson is third in the NBA, trailing Atlanta’s Dyson Daniels and Oklahoma City’s Cason Wallace.