Ausar Thompson: From Overtime Elite to NBA Prospect
Ausar Thompson, born on January 30, 2003, is an American professional basketball player currently with the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Standing at 6 feet 7 inches and weighing 207 pounds, Thompson’s journey to the NBA is marked by significant achievements in high school and the Overtime Elite (OTE) league, setting the stage for his promising NBA career.
Early Life and High School Career
Thompson was born in San Leandro, California, to Maya Wilson and Troy Thompson. He is of Jamaican descent through his father. His identical twin brother, Amen, was born one minute before him; they share the middle name "XLNC" (pronounced "excellence"). Thompson’s older brother, Troy Jr., played college basketball for Prairie View A&M. His uncle, Mark Thompson, represented Jamaica in 400-meter hurdles at the 1992 Summer Olympics.
Entering eighth grade, Thompson and his family moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida so that he and Amen could play high school basketball one year early at Pine Crest School. The twins immediately started for the team. As a sophomore, Thompson averaged 17.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game, earning second-team All-County honors. Entering his junior season, he was named to the Broward County Fab Five by the Sun Sentinel. Thompson averaged 22.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game, helping his team win the Class 4A state championship. Thompson previously attended Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and won the State Championship his junior season.
During his time at Pine Crest High School, Thompson was deemed a five-star recruit. However, instead of playing collegiately, he decided to sign with the Overtime Elite basketball league with his brother, Amen.
Overtime Elite (OTE) Career
On May 25, 2021, Thompson signed a two-year contract with Overtime Elite (OTE), a new professional league based in Atlanta with players between ages 16 and 20. Instead of playing high school basketball as a senior, Thompson was part of Team Elite during the 2021-22 season, where he won the inaugural OTE title and was named the Finals MVP.
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In the 2022-23 OTE season, Thompson was named captain of the City Reapers and played alongside Amen. On December 12, 2022, he earned league Player of the Week honors. Thompson was selected as Player of the Week for a second time on February 6, 2023, after posting a league single-game record 12 assists, with 17 points and eight rebounds in 21 minutes against the Holy Rams. At the end of the regular season, he was named OTE MVP and made the All-OTE First Team, with averages of 16.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 2.4 steals per game.
During the 2022-23 season, he joined City Reapers, where he was named MVP behind 16.3 points on 48/30/67 shooting, 6.9 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 2.7 steals and 1.3 blocks in 27.6 minutes per game. Again, Thompson led his team to an OTE championship and won the Finals MVP. Won his second championship at OTE this season with the City Reapers. Ausar was named the Finals MVP for the second straight season. He was also named the regular season MVP and has captured every MVP award at OTE through its first two seasons. He averaged 16.3 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. Ausar finished second in the league averaging 6.1 assists per game. In the playoffs, he averaged 21.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. In game three, Ausar hit the game-winning three with 2.3 seconds left on the clock to clinch the sweep in the championship for the Reapers. In the Reapers two clinching games in the playoffs, Ausar averaged 25.0 points, scoring 26 in the game against the Cold Hearts and 24 against the YNG Dreamerz. After starting the playoffs 0-5 from three, Ausar went 15-34 the rest of the way. In the regular season, he finished with double figure points in 13 of the 15 games. He had over five assists in nine games. Earned player of the week honors two times with the second time coming with 17 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds in just 21 minutes of action. On the defensive end, he averaged 2.4 steals and 1.1 blocks per game. Ausar was named Overtime Elite Finals MVP after averaging 17 PPG and 10 RPG in the best-of-three series to lead his team to the inaugural championship. He was OTE’s only player to drop 30 points twice during the season. On the defensive end, he holds OTE’s blocks record with 7 in one game (and he did it twice). As a guard, he led the league in BLK% (4.4%) & BLK per 40 minutes (3.2). Ausar was sixth and the league and first among guards in ORB% (9.2%) & OREB per 40 minutes (3.9). In addition to his scoring, he had an assist in 30 games this season. Thompson led the Reapers to the league title in a 3-0 sweep of the YNG Dreamerz, repeating as Finals MVP.
NBA Draft and Rookie Season
The Detroit Pistons selected Thompson with the fifth overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft, one pick behind his twin brother Amen. They were the first brothers in NBA draft history to be selected in the top five in the same year. On July 2023, Thompson signed a two-year, $16.35 million contract with the Pistons. Pistons exercised $8.78 million team option for 2025-26 in October of 2024. Contract includes $11.12 million team option for 2026-27.
On October 25, 2023, Thompson made his NBA regular-season debut, putting up four points, seven rebounds, three assists and five blocks in a 103-102 loss to the Miami Heat. Thompson also became the youngest player in NBA history to put up at least five blocks in an NBA debut, at 20 years old and 269 days. Thompson was a part of the roster that lost an NBA record-high 28 straight games in the 2023-24 season. He played in 63 games (38 starts) during his rookie season, averaging 8.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists. Thompson roared out of the blocks during his rookie season, despite some obvious flaws on the offensive end of the floor. He quickly established himself as an elite rebounder from the wing position, tallying double-digit boards in eight of his first 14 games. During that time, he also recorded a total of 17 steals and 24 blocks, providing elite defensive production in anyone's book. However, Thompson was benched after Christmas, playing fewer than 20 minutes in eight of the next 10 games. He then shifted back into the starting lineup before having his season cut short due to blood clots. When all was said and done, Thompson finished as the 180th-ranked player in standard leagues, averaging 8.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.9 blocks in 25.1 minutes per game.
Analysis of Thompson's Strengths and Potential
Thompson's highlight-reel offensive plays get most of the attention, but the wing's defense might be where he makes the biggest impact out of the gate. He’s hyper-athletic and versatile, which may allow him to defend all positions but center, especially when the other team runs small. He’ll jump in passing lanes and pick pockets to start fast breaks, and he’s a great shot-blocker for his size. Thompson’s ball-in-hand role last season was mostly limited to fastbreaks and dunks, but the Pistons have been experimenting with a bigger role in playmaking for the third-year forward. Thompson's ability to change speeds and use his above-average strength and athleticism to get to the rim could be a reason why the Pistons are looking to expand Thompson's ball-handling role.
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Offensively, he’s best with a head of steam toward the basket, whether that be on or off the ball, due to his poor shooting. When he has the ball in his hands, he's an excellent passer who has demonstrated patience and precision. Thompson has the look of a potential star, though he may need to follow in the steps of other two-way playmaking wings without knockdown-jumpers. Most NBA comparisons come with a caveat - a more passing-focused Jimmy Butler, a longer Markelle Fultz, a bouncier Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. While Thompson doesn't project to be a primary ballhandler with the Pistons as long as Cade Cunningham is around, his career could begin to trend in that direction. Whether Thompson starts or comes off the bench, he should at least see 25 minutes per game for a Detroit team featuring forwards like Bojan Bogdanovic and Isaiah Livers.
Future Outlook
Coming off a season plagued by missed games, Thompson will be looking to establish himself as a key piece for the Pistons. Although his offensive talents are somewhat questionable, his ability to serve as an elite defender will be crucial if Detroit hopes to take another step forward.
The Pistons have made more than a few lineup changes during the offseason, bringing in Malik Beasley, Tobias Harris, Tim Hardaway and Paul Reed while re-signing Simone Fontecchio and drafting Ron Holland. While depth is certainly a good thing in terms of reality, it creates a logjam of which Thompson is likely to be a part. Poor shooting could once again cap Thompson's upside, making him more of a defensive specialist with rebounding potential.
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