Where did Detroit Pistons Forward Land on Final NBA Rookie Ranking?

This season, most of the talk about first-year players has been centered around Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren. However, there were countless other rookies who had strong first years in the NBA. Among those deserving of a mention is Detroit Pistons forward Ausar Thompson.

The Pistons selected Thompson with the fifth overall selection. His twin brother, Amen Thompson, was selected by the Houston Rockets one pick prior.

In his first season with Detroit, Thompson showed the capabilities of being an all-around player. His size and athleticism helped him on the defensive end, and he showed nice flashes as a playmaker. Thompson did a little bit of everything for the Pistons, averaging 8.8 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.1 SP, and 0.9 BPG.

With his impressive rookie campaign, Thompson finds himself on the final rookie ladder of the year. He just barely squeaked in, appearing at No. 9. Thompson is projected to make the All-Rookie Second Team among the likes of Dereck Lively and Keyonte George.

As expected, Wembanyama took the top spot in the rookie ladder. The No. 1 pick is on pace to end the year, averaging 21.3 PPG, 10.6 RPG, and 3.6 BPG.

Despite missing a good portion of games with an ankle injury, Amen Thompson also made an appearance on the rookie ladder. He finished fourth after averaging 9.2 PPG, 6.3 RPG, and 2.4 APG for the Rockets.

While most of these rookies are still playing, the Pistons made the decision to shut down Thompson a few weeks ago. The last time he appeared in a game was March 9th against the Dallas Mavericks.