The Detroit Pistons have shown themselves to be great at identifying high-end prospects that fit their team in their culture.

They started with a point guard, and mature leader, in Cade Cunningham in 2021. As is expected in a rebuild, Cunningham was unable to turn around the franchise in his rookie season, leading to another high pick in 2022. However, Cunningham suffered a season-ending shin injury at the start of the 2022-23 season. Subsequently, Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren were given a chance to prove themselves as core players, but they didn't have much success in leading the Pistons to wins either. isn't

Now, Detroit has yet another lottery pick that can be a franchise pillar, and we're not even talking about former second overall pick James Wiseman.

No, we're talking about a player who could be the most talented of all of the aforementioned players: 2023 No. 5 pick Ausar Thompson.

Thompson doesn't have the end-to-end speed that Ivey possesses, but when considering his combination of size, speed, agility, vertical explosiveness and strength, he could be the most impressive prospect that they have from a physical standpoint. He's a more determined passer than Ivey as well, while being as capable a passer as Cunninham.

Due to his physical profile, he's going to be an even more dangerous rebounder than even Cunningham, although Duren still figures to be the best glass cleaner on the team. Thompson's athleticism does allow him to be a better defender than even Cunningham or Duren though.

Lastly, Cunninham is the best shooter in the Pistons' young core and knows how to consistently get to his spots. However, Thompson is still a three-level scorer that can hang up plenty of points himself.

Thompson isn't the perfect prospect but there's so much to like about his game.

Pistons' biggest Ausar Thompson concern after Summer League

By the time he was finished with the 2023 NBA Summer League, Detroit Pistons rookie wing Ausar Thompson had averages of 13.5 points (on 46.5 percent shooting from the field), 10.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.3 steals, and 1.8 blocks in 29.2 minutes per game.

Impressive from start to finish, the main issue that continued to rear its ugly head for Thompson and the Pistons was his jumper. Halfway through his second Summer League showing, fans were even seriously questioning whether or not he could score outside of the paint, as Thompson missed a midrange jumper wide and his shooting mechanics leave a lot to be desired. Frankly, a lack of rhythm could have contributed to those misses, as Thompson took a backseat to Jaden Ivey, James Wiseman, and Jalen Duren up to that point.

However, from that point on, Thompson nailed jumpers from midrange and beyond. Although his shot still looks a bit unnatural and flat, the fact of the matter is that the shooting mechanics matter far less than the result. The way that Thompson shot the ball off-the-dribble in particular was enough to assuage doubts about Thompson's scoring upside, especially when considering the work ethic that he's shown up to this point.

Still, as Thompson only shot 3-11 (27.3 percent) from 3-point range and 11-17 (64.7 percent) from the free-throw line in Summer League, there's clearly still work to be done in order to maximize his abilities in this area. Especially with Cunningham, Ivey, Wiseman, and Duren — all projected starters — shooting 34 percent or lower from 3-point range in their short careers.

Spacing matters

If the spacing around Ausar Thompson was expected to be at an at least above-average level, there would be less focus on his own shooting ability.

To that point, in order for the Detroit Pistons to truly maximize Thompson offensively, the spacing around Thompson needs to improve dramatically. However, as the other members of their young core — Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, James Wiseman, and Jalen Duren — all are better with spacing around them as well, it's imperative for Thompson to prove his own shooting for the benefit of the team as a whole.

Ultimately, his fit with the Pistons isn't perfect, which will likely show itself throughout his rookie season (barring a significant change to the roster or his teammates making substantial improvements).