The Detroit Pistons picked at no. 5 in the 2023 NBA Draft and selected Overtime Elite star Ausar Thompson. Detroit did the Thompson twins a favor by selecting the 6-foot-7 wing after his brother Amen Thompson was taken 4th overall by the Houston Rockets.
Aside from the 5th overall selection, Detroit also had No. 31 entering June 22nd. But the Pistons traded the pick along with future second-rounders to the Boston Celtics to move up to No. 25. With the 25th pick, the Pistons took guard Marcus Sasser. With that, we will give a grade to the Pistons two draft picks from Thursday night.
Though they finished with the worst record in the NBA last season, it just feels like Detroit is on the cusp of a breakout campaign. It was certainly disappointing for Pistons Nation to get just the 5th overall pick — and obviously ultimately miss out on Wembanyama — after they went through an entire year watching their team suffer 65 losses. But nonetheless, it is what it is for this team and they will look to move forward with adding Ausar Thompson to this promising core with a new head coach in Monty Williams.
Even though they were off target in the Wemby sweepstakes, Detroit still boasts an intriguing group of young pieces led by the 2021-22 No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham. With that said, here are the draft grades for each Pistons pick on Thursday.
Ausar Thompson
The Pistons must have been reading some ClutchPoints pieces leading up to the draft. Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints had Thompson going 5th overall in his latest mock draft, while ClutchPoints' Tim Crean wrote about how the 6-foot-7 wing is the perfect fit for them.
Mock drafts were all over the place in terms of where Detroit would go at this spot. Jarace Walker, Taylor Hendricks, and Cam Whitmore were some possible options. But ultimately, the Pistons went with the player with the highest upside available and someone who just fit like a glove with their current make up.
Thompson should instantly slot into that starting small forward role, forming an intriguing young trio with Cunningham and Jaden Ivey running the backcourt. His presence allows the two guards to play in their natural positions. He is an athletic wing with a quick step and high bounce that allows him to get to the rim with ease. In addition, he also has a high basketball IQ. His chops as a playmaker is one of the more underrated aspects of his game.
Entering the league, Thompson has his limits offensively with his inability to shoot consistently from beyond the arc. But he will be able to complement them well with his elite athleticism and ability to make the right reads and decisions in secondary actions.
The 6-foot-7 wing's biggest strength is his defense and this is ultimately where he will play a massive role for Monty Williams right off the jump. Thompson is arguably the best and most tenacious defender in this class. His motor and aggressiveness on that side of the floor should help elevate this team's 27th ranked defense from a season ago.
With Thompson being a terrific fit who addresses their needs, the Pistons deserve a draft grade of A for this pick.
Grade: A
Marcus Sasser
The Pistons traded up six spots and gave future second-round picks to select Marcus Sasser at No. 25. Siegel had Sasser going at No. 40, so this may seem like a reach for Detroit.
At 6-foot-1, he is obviously one of the more undersized guards of this class. But he usually plays bigger than he really is and is capable of scoring in bunches. More of a combo guard than a tradition point guard, Sasser could be a solid scoring punch off the bench for the Pistons. He possesses a smooth shooting stroke with a consistent three-point shot off the dribble. In his senior year at Houston, Sasser averaged 16.8 points and 38.4 percent from beyond the arc.
Obviously, Sasser's biggest strength is his scoring, particularly his three-point shooting. This is probably what prompted Detroit to trade up for the 22-year-old as they ranked just 19th in three-point shooting percentage last season.
It will be intriguing to see where he stands in the Pistons guard rotation considering they already have ball handlers and creators in that backcourt. But there is a chance that he could supplant Killian Hayes, as the French guard hasn't shown much improvement since the Pistons drafted him 7th overall in 2020.
Sasser will need to prove the organization right though, because they did give up assets to take him. With that, this deserves a draft grade of B considering the Pistons did reach for him and could have actually taken him at 31 without needing to give up future picks.
Grade: B