The Detroit Pistons will be without Ausar Thompson and Isaiah Stewart for the remaining 14 games on their schedule for the 2023-24 season, the team announced on Wednesday afternoon.
Ausar Thompson will miss the rest of the season while being treated for a blood clot, per @ShamsCharania.
The Pistons rookie has played a total of 50 games. pic.twitter.com/u3C3I6uxg2
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 20, 2024
Thompson, who has missed the team's last five games, will not play again this season as a result of a blood clot medical staff discovered. The good news is that the rookie has been cleared to resume conditioning and will begin non-contact basketball activities at the conclusion of the regular season. He is expected to make a full recovery in preparation for next season.
Stewart has missed a chunk of time throughout the season due to multiple injuries. Now, he will be on the sidelines and miss the remainder of the year due to a right hamstring strain that he suffered in the third quarter of Monday's game against the Boston Celtics.
The Pistons have lost three straight games and are 12-56 overall this season. They are on pace to finish with below 16 wins, which would mark their worst season in franchise history.
Thompson and Stewart have been regular starters over the course of the 2023-24 season for the Pistons, which means there is new opportunity for secondary talents such as Marcus Sasser, James Wiseman, and others to prove their worth.
Ausar Thompson's rookie season
Drafted fifth overall by the Pistons last summer, Thompson immediately exhibited his potential as a versatile athlete early on in the season for the Pistons. Given his rebounding and defensive abilities, Thompson has certainly cemented himself as a key member of his team's core group, next to rising star Cade Cunningham.
Over the course of the season, Thompson became a much better scoring weapon on the wing for the Pistons. He recorded a career-high 22 points on 10-of-15 shooting in a 141-135 loss against the Milwaukee Bucks on January 20, and he had recorded at least 10 points in nine of his last 15 games before the Pistons sidelined him.
Since the start of February, Thompson has averaged 10.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game while shooting 51.1 percent from the floor. Developing a consistent jump shot, especially from the perimeter, will help Thompson grow into a potential All-Star-caliber player for Detroit.
At the start of March, Thompson ranked inside the Top 10 of ClutchPoints' NBA Rookie Rankings for the 2023-24 season.
Isaiah Stewart's bumpy year
The 46 games Stewart played this year were the fewest of his career. Stewart did sign a four-year, $60 million rookie-scale contract extension with the Pistons last July, signaling that the team believes he's a core part of their frontcourt alongside rising big man Jalen Duren.
Starting in 45 of the 46 games he played in, Stewart averaged 10.9 points and 6.6 rebounds per game while shooting 38.3 percent from three-point range. His previous career-high shooting percentage from the perimeter was 33.3 percent during his rookie season.
Availability has been tough for Stewart this season, as he has suffered ankle, toe, and shoulder injuries over the course of the year. However, Stewart made headlines in February when he struck Phoenix Suns big man Drew Eubanks in the face prior to their game against one another on Valentine's Day.
Stewart was arrested by Phoenix Police for the altercation that took place behind the scenes in Footprint Center, but his charges were eventually dropped. The Pistons big man was suspended for three games by the league for his actions.
The Pistons will provide an official update on his status and recovery from this right hamstring strain at a later date.
Follow Us
Subscribe