“It’s Not Points, So it Doesn’t Matter?”: Draymond Green Builds Pistons Rookie Ausar Thompson’s Stock in Heated ROTY Race

Draymond Green is known to be vocal about his opinions and has a lot to say about the NBA rookies. The Golden State Warriors forward, currently serving a five-game suspension for his on-court altercation with Rudy Gobert, shared a post on X (previously Twitter) and praised Detroit Pistons rookie – Ausar Thompson for his incredible performance.

With the ‘Rookie of The Year’ race heating up in the NBA, Green believes Ausar is not getting the love he deserves. He is averaging 11.3 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks in 15 games this season. Being a 6ft 6″ who is very capable on defense himself, Green was left aghast by the NBA community for not recognizing Ausar Thompson’s numbers.

Ausar Thompson averaging 10 rebounds and almost 2 blocks per game is not being talked about enough. That’s wild! Let me guess though… it’s not points, so it doesn’t matter?

— Draymond Green (@Money23Green) November 23, 2023

Draymond Green has built his career around doing all the little things and being a defensive menace on the court. He is not known for scoring points, and it’s no surprise that he is raising the stock for Ausar Thompson, whose style is very similar to his own. The Pistons rookie currently stands third in the NBA’s ROTY ladder, with Chet Holmgren from the Oklahoma City Thunder occupying the top spot.

2023-24 NBA Rookies and their defensive abilities

The new crop of rookies to enter the NBA have taken the defensive assignments on the court to be as important as their offensive production. Unlike the earlier years, the 2023-24 rookies like Victor Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren, and Ausar Thompson have impacted the game on both sides of the floor. They are all averaging more than 1.5 blocks per game, and experienced players in the league are unable to get by them with ease.

Draymond Green, a 2016-17 Defensive Player of the Year, noticed the defensive work put in by the rookies and appreciated them for the same. In an interview, he told the reporters “I feel a way about the Thompson twins and Wemby because those guys are making it much harder for me to continue to make All-Defensive teams.” 

Coming from a player who has been a part of multiple All-NBA Defensive teams, that is high praise for the young talents. They should use this as motivation to force the voter’s hand into considering them for the top Defensive honors in the NBA. Also, they must continue the grind as more repetitions will help them better their craft.