NBA Draft thread - Pistons select Ausar Thompson at 5
1. Victor Wembenyama F/C San Antonio
2. Brandon Miller F Charlotte
3. Scoot Henderson G Portland
4. Amen Thompson G Houstan
5. Ausar Thompson G/F Detroit
I personally was pulling for Cam Whitmore at 5 but I'm not disappointed with the pick of Ausar Thompson. He's got more potential than some of the players picked in front of him. He's also a higher risk. I'm glad he's got a coach like Monty Williams. If anyone can get the best from Ausar, it's Monty.
The Pistons drafted Hamidou Diallo as a prospect.... I'm not impressed.
I feel that unless Cade and Ivey drastically improve their outside shot, spacing will be a huge problem
The good news is Cade was a proven shooter in college, he just had an unusually bad first season from deep. Jaden actually improved his 3 point shooting over the course of his rookie season, as well as improving everything else. I'm not worried about either of those guys.
Ausar is certainly risky, but he's got higher upside than anyone else left on the board and it's not close. Another positive note: Ausar shot 38 percent from behind the 3 point line (which is from NBA distance by the way) in the Overtime Elite playoffs. While that's not a big enough sample size to call it a trend, it isn't a small sample size either. He's also a hard worker like Jaden Ivey, and we saw what that work ethic did for Ivey over the course of his rookie year.
edit: I saw you got some downvotes for your comment. I gave you an upvote to try to balance it out. Your point is solid and Ausar absolutely MUST improve his shooting if he's going to make it in the league.
If you look every prospect except Dick , Jett and Hawkins everyone can improve their shooting. I am sure there are a few others but I am talking about top 20 prospects. Ausar doesn't need to be elite at shooting just shoot like Jaden did his first season and improve from there. 34 or 35 % is about what to expect from him his first season plus with JB in charge of player development he will improve upon everything. I mean everyone is calling him and his brother top 5 prospects but the few people on here know better then guys who scout for a living. If you prefer someone else fine but people on here are acting like they know how to scout NBA prospect better then the guys who do it for a living. Look I liked Cam alot but he had a bunch of holes in his game then the medical came out and he hasn't been picked yet and fell out of the lottery
So I've been keeping a close watch on pre draft talk leading up to this. It was a given who the first 4 picks would be and when I saw there was a possibility that Amen might fall to 5, I started looking at his highlights and saw how great he was with the ball. I watched 2 of his games and I recalled how he controlled those games by constantly pressuring the defense with his driving ability. I thought if we got him, we could run 3 big guards that would cause matchup nightmares. I also read that Ausar had really come on strong late in the season, with improved shooting and winning MVP honors. Obviously, Amen would have been my pick but when he was gone I thought about who had the best upside of the next 4 players. My conclusion was I wouldn't have been upset if the pick had been any of the other 4 guys because after Amen, it was a crap shoot. I just thought that Ausar's and Black's game had a special quality but it seemed like the Thompson twins played faster all the time, which translates well in the NBA, not big slow bully ball.
Comparatively, Black played slower. Cam hadn't played enough(bully ball), plus medical issues were a concern. The other two big men were great college players but I didn't see anything that made me believe they would be extraordinary in the NBA. Ausar was very intriguing because his game was very similar to Amen. His stats were practically identical. He seemed better defensively and his brother seemed more creative offensively. Although neither were great shooters, Mike, Lebron and quite a few legends, weren't initially great shooters either. They worked hard at it. I get the knock that they were on a team that played low level competition. Unfortunately, This is what has become of the game of basketball. Stars are skipping college and opting for compensation by playing in Europe, France, the G league the B league the A league and any other league that will pay them and it's really hurt the sport.
It's hurt the NBA because every year someone we barely know puts up insane numbers and wins the championship. It hurts college ball because we don't get to see the atmosphere of great players competing with 1000's of college kids and fans cheering them on. No other league can come close to offering that kind of excitement. I don't blame the kids, colleges simply need to pay. Tonight we saw tears and heard all of the draftees saying "I've worked so hard for this". Bottom line is these boys didn't start playing ball this year. They've been playing against each other and scouts have been watching since they were 8 years old. The Thompson twins didn't get booked out of central casting to be on TV. They were already two of the best draft prospects in the world, just like the #1 pick tonight was. Only time will tell if the Piston's got it right with the 5th pick. Based on what I've seen and know, I would have probably drafted him. He seemed mature, articulate, raised in a strong family, knew how to dress and he's already a professional.
If you look every prospect except Dick , Jett and Hawkins everyone can improve their shooting. I am sure there are a few others but I am talking about top 20 prospects. Ausar doesn't need to be elite at shooting just shoot like Jaden did his first season and improve from there. 34 or 35 % is about what to expect from him his first season plus with JB in charge of player development he will improve upon everything. I mean everyone is calling him and his brother top 5 prospects but the few people on here know better then guys who scout for a living. If you prefer someone else fine but people on here are acting like they know how to scout NBA prospect better then the guys who do it for a living. Look I liked Cam alot but he had a bunch of holes in his game then the medical came out and he hasn't been picked yet and fell out of the lottery
They traded for Diallo.
I think you missed the point of Darker Blue's comment. He's saying the Pistons just drafted a younger version of Hamidou Diallo. A guy who's a great athlete but can't shoot and thusly creates spacing issues for his team on the offensive end.
They are not even comparable players. They are both athletic and that's about it.
and they both can't shoot.
What does that have to do with Thompson being a Diallo clone?
I believe he thought you meant that they literally drafted Hamidou as a way of saying that you don't trust their draft scouting. He didn't understand that you were making a comparison between the two.
Bad take. Ausar is going to be a good shooter. He had a bad start but improved a ton throughout the year. I think he shot 38.5% from 3 in the playoffs. Also, he's lightyears ahead of Diallo defensively, is taller, has a bigger wingspan, and has much more upside as a secondary playmaker.
Here’s the thing.
Dropping to 5 was a bummer. The only players you get at 5 are high upside fellas with big holes in their game. The idea and hope is Monty and the staff help develop Ausar’s shot.
Ausar is one hell of an athlete and great defender. If he develops that shot, we have our starting 3.
That's a big if. I'd imagine the list of athletes who never develop their shot is a mile long.
Of course it is, they are picking at 5. If Ausar had a consistent shot, he would go 2 because everyone wants a sniper at the wing who is also a playmaker and elite defense.
It's a lot easier to develop a shot than it is to develop a handle and passing ability. Ausar already has both of those on top of being a great defender and one of the best pure athletes in the draft.
The Pistons were the worst defensive team in the league last season. Shooting matters, but we all know defense wins championships.
This team already has 3 ball dominant guard with Cade, Killian, Ivey. I care more about adding shooting than handles and playmaking.
Pistons aren’t in a position to draft for need. They still need high end talent. The team won 17 games last year.
if we had assets to get at 9, sure take Taylor. However, we need athletic wings which is where the league is now.
Also Killian is a dead body. Dude won’t be there after 2024.
Shooting isn't a talent?
Of course it is, and I don’t hate Hendricks. However, as another poster said, Hendricks is who he is. It’s more challenging to develop a handle than working through a shot through your first two years.
Also, why will Killian be gone? A playmaker with handles... who can't shoot.
Pistons were in a spot to draft for need because they were at 5. Not much separates the 2 through 10.prosoecta in this draft. They have their frontcourt pieces and backcourt pieces and what they didn't have was a wing. They drafted a wing with talent and great defensive abilities. Pistons do have shooting problems but that is because they have frontcourt players who are not 2 point shooters. Maybe Stewart gets better but none of the 4 bigs are going to scare teams when they shoot the 3s. This is one reason they have Bijan and Livers is be suse they shoot around 40%. Cade will get better and so will Ivey. But you can find shooters almost anywhere and one team that you can look at is the Heat who had 7 Undrafted players who were their shooters.
Not much separates the 2 thru 10 prospects in this draft? That's insane. Scoot and Miller are lightyears ahead of Cason Wallace as prospects.
It was supposed to be 3 not 2. Miller is a good prospect and by scouts looking at him say he lacks the great athletic ability to be a #1 guy on a team. I think he is athletic but, he isn't that good at defense and when he played the best competition he usually didn't play as well. Good athletic defenders made him look average. Plus Miller might not always make the best choices
"It's a lot easier to develop a shot than it is to develop a handle and passing ability. "
Have you told this to Killian?
So Scoot Henderson had worse numbers from 3 then Ausar but everyone said he would have been the #1pick if it wasn't for Victor this draft. You don't need to be elite but have some sort of shoot. Which Ausar does and Scoot does. Look you can get undrafted shooters not in the draft look at the Heats 3 point shooters 7 undrafted ones and they made the finals.
Insert laugh emoji
If it wasn’t a big if, he probably goes higher than 5 in the draft.
I'm losing faith in Weaver. We have to be the worst shooting team in the NBA and we keep drafting poor shooters.
Who is the shooter you take at 5?
Cam Whitmore, who bombed the workout and interviews AND is dropping in the draft?
all players at 5 have major flaws. If they don’t have problems they go top 3
Hendricks would have been ideal
Hendricks would’ve been a fine pick and fits that shooting mold. He also cannot create his own shot.
Don't care if he can't create a shot. We have plenty of players who can create for him. What we don't have is shooters.
Being a ball stopper is not what Monty Williams wants. We need multiple playmakers on the court.
I wouldn’t have hated taking Hendricks, but this team still needs high end talent that have high ceilings.
If the ball stops at a 40% 3 pt shooter, I'm OK with that.
Great thing about Hendricks is he's pretty much a finished prospect already. He's probably the safest pick in the draft. A perfect 3 and D player.
Worst thing about him is also the fact he's a finished prospect. He's not getting much better than what he is now. Developing a consistent handle at this level is near-impossible. By the time you get to the NBA, you either have one or you don't. Hendricks doesn't.
I'd have loved to have him on the Pistons, but not at five when there are guys with higher upside on the board. Hendricks is not a gamebreaker, never will be. Ausar can become one.
Hendricks is a year younger than the Thompson twins and is a better shooter while just as versatile as those guys defensively. Sure, it's unlikely a guy develops a pro-level handle in the NBA but it's just as unlikely that guys figure out how to shoot in the NBA if they haven't before. I think the differences in upside for either guy is minimal, if any exists, and frankly the Pistons need a guy who is a plus defender and can shoot and that feels like Hendricks. As noted elsewhere I haven't watched basically anything around Ausar beyond the highlights but I just don't see how that shot and overall offensive game dramatically improves in the NBA.
So then Marvin Bagley , Stewart Duren and Wiseman have to now fight minutes with Hendricks who is a power forward or small ball center. That is why they didn't draft Hendricks and also Hendricks played in a bad basketball conference compared to other conferences. If they would have picked Hendricks then Walker would have been the better choice he is superior defensively to Hendricks and can shoot and guard 1-5. But he also fits in as a power forward which means the Pistons would have to get rid of Stewart or Bagley or Wiseman.
The AAC was 7th in NET rating by the end of the year, which featured a #1 in Houston. It's not a great league but you also can't argue about conference and opponent quality while discussing the OTE and the Thompson twins. And Hendricks was a really good player in that league.
I'd have been fine with Walker as well; that was the name I had heard coming into the night as the likely landing spot for him. He's a thick guy who could defend anyone save for the biggest 5s in the league, and I could see him being a decent catch-and-shoot 4 in the right offense. Hendricks is a bit taller and looks like a more complete shooter though not as physical a defender.
Honestly, I'd be fine if the Pistons moved on from Bagley. Bagley is a bad defender and I doubt 6 years into the league he'll get much better given the fact he's a mediocre athlete and not particularly big. Wiseman is still more of an unknown given the fact he barely played with Golden State or in college so I can see wanting to give him more time, but I always get nervous about big guys who can't stay healthy for long stretches. I like Beef Stew.
Honestly, I'd have preferred the Pistons traded out of #5. I hope Thompson works out because I like when the Pistons are good at basketball but this feels like a draft where the difference between the guy picked at #5 and #12 isn't some huge gulf.
Also though the 3 point line is different so shooting from NBA to college is a big difference. I liked Hendricks and Walker but the way the roster is set up they were bad picks. Granted we don't know if any of these guys will be stars but I am going to side with the guys who get paid to watch and analyze players for a living. Most thought the twins were top 5 players and we got the better shooter and all around player of the 2. Also most people had the Twins rated higher then all other prospects and many loved the way Ausar would fit with the Pistons. Hayes will be gone after this season unless he improves his game. So with Ausar Ivey and Cade we can have one of those guys on the floor at all times to make this team better.
Regrading the AAC the only reason it was rated so high was Houston brought them up so much. If you take them out they fall to out of top 10.
To me if the Pistons were not set on a couple of the big guys they would have drafted Hendricks or Walker. But to me it says two things Detroit is happy with their bigs and Ausar was the guy they wanted all along. Also who knows maybe they trade Ausar to say the Nets and get Cam Johnson. I would prefer Mikal but he would require more.
Developing a pro-level handle being just as difficult as developing a decent 3 point shot is flatly untrue. There are multiple examples of players who have developed a shot in the NBA. Jaden Ivey is a recent of a guy who's gotten better at shooting every year for the last 2 years. LeBron James was a pretty poor 3 point shooter early in his career, now he's respectable from deep. Hell, even Chris Bosh became a 3 point threat during his run with the Heat. Is it easy? Not at all. Is easier than becoming a shot creator at the NBA level? Absolutely.
How many guys who weren't creators before joining the NBA actually went on to become shot creators for themselves and their team mates? I can't think of a single one.
Ivey's been in the league for a year and shot 34% from 3. And like you said, he's shown improvement both from his freshman year in college (29%) to his second year to college (36%). Thompson shot 30% from outside this year after shooting 26% from outside the season before. And that's against far worse competition. Yes, LeBron James got better at shooting the 3 but (a) this is LeBron James, one of the top-3 best players in NBA history, and (b) his worst year (at age 19 in 2003) was basically the same as Thompson's right now at age 20 in an AAU league. When James was 20 he shot 35% from 3, and that's before we get into the significant league differences in outside shooting that have occurred in the intervening 20 years.
Also, Hendricks is 6' 10" and brings a different skillset than a 6' 4" SG, so the fact he's not quite the shot creator isn't disqualifying in my eyes, and that's not even assuming he might develop some of that game with the same NBA growth and coaching that could turn Ausar isn't a good outside shooter. As for guys who developed playmaking in the pros, Bam Adebayo jumps to mind as a guy who developed a much more well-rounded offense in the NBA. In college he had nearly a 1:2 A/TO ratio but in the pros it's closer to 3.4:2 and has developed a really nice mid-range game. He was a better college player than Hendricks but Hendricks has shown greater outside range.
I'm not really going to keep arguing about this since it doesn't matter, only saying that I don't really get the hype around Ausar and while I'd love to be wrong I can't shake "bargain basement Ben Simmons" as his comp. Maybe that's fine for the #5 pick in a weird draft but I feel like people might be disappointed if they expect more than that.
Ausar also shoot the 3 from NBA range not college so that makes a difference. Also Ben Simmons is a bad comp. The one who played at LSU was a good player the one now has mental problems when it comes to shooting. I am not going by what I think at all. Ausar was not on my radar for a pick until a week ago as I didn't want him. But I am going by what the experts are talking about and what scouts say. Hendricks could be great but like I said we already have to many bigs. Unless they plan on trading one or 2 then Hendricks or Walker were pointless. Also Walker is about 1inch and half shorter but his wingspan make sup for it and pretty sure it is bigger then Hendricks. Walker can do everything Hendricks can do but better except spot up shooting. Though Walker I am sure shoot more 3s and made them at about 5% less which for ever 100 3s shoot he made 5 less then Hendricks would have.
In the end I wanted Whitmore because he was athletic and big could finish and could shoot good enough in his one season to be considered a plus plus 3 and D guy. Anyways this has been fun and hopefully Ausar turns out because I am still mad about not getting #1 pick. To me it is fixed as Victor preferred San Antonio and it made for a perfect scenario.
Figuring out to shoot at the NBA level is wayyy more likely than figuring out how to handle. Tons of guys have become shooters in the NBA. Brook Lopez was 3/21 from 3 in 2 college seasons and just shot .374 on 364 attempts last year. No one develops a handle in the NBA
Bro you have no idea about basketball do you? Hendricks is the furthest thing from a finished prospect a freshman from a bad basketball conference who wasn't even a top 60 prospect coming out of high school. I just don't understand where you are getting your info. I watched the draft and the pre draft and most say Hendricks is far from a finished product.
Hendricks.
The dumbest comment I have heard here in a while. Weaver is one of the best GMs In. The NBA.
Pls list the reasons why...
He might be a good scout. I've yet to see him assemble a competent roster.
Let’s settle down a bit. What has Weaver done to put himself in the conversation of one of the best GM’s in the league?
Ironic you call someone else’s comment the dumbest you’ve heard here in a while and immediately come back with that gem.