The 2023-24 NBA regular season has been a nightmare for the Detroit Pistons, who had high hopes of turning things around after bringing in veteran head coach Monty Williams to be the franchise’s new leader on the sideline.
Instead of taking two steps forward like the Orlando Magic, the Pistons have arguably taken two steps back. The team is arguably the worst in the NBA this season while currently battling it out with the Washington Wizards to not finish the season with the worst record in the Eastern Conference and the league overall.
Despite all the promising young talent on the squad, the Pistons have not been able to put it together this season for one reason or another, and now the team gets some more bad news with rookie forward Ausar Thompson set to miss the final stretch of the 2023-24 campaign.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Thompson, who was selected with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, is dealing with a blood clot that will end his rookie season.
Pistons rookie forward Ausar Thompson will miss the remainder of the season while being treated for a blood clot.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 20, 2024
Obviously, this is bad news for Detroit as that sounds like a major health concern for a player the team hopes will be a big part of their future moving forward.
In the 63 games he played for the Pistons this season, Thompson averaged 8.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game, shooting 48.3% from the field and a cringeworthy 18.6% from three-point range and 59.7% from the free-throw line.
As of right now, the Pistons have already been eliminated from playoff contention in the East with an abysmal record of 12-56.
NEXT: Pistons Make Progress By Ending Surprising Drought