marcus sassser

Keith Langlois

Three quick observations from Sunday’s 100-85 win over the Indiana Pacers at UNLV”s Cox Pavilion

THAT’S A WRAP – The Pistons finished Summer League with a 4-1 record after Sunday’s win over Indiana, a game in which rookie standout Ausar Thompson sat but the other first-round pick, Marcus Sasser, played and he’ll no doubt leave Summer League feeling much better about the experience after a dynamic second-half showing. Sasser had been as advertised for the Pistons through his first four games in all ways except as a shooter, particularly from the 3-point line. But he was sensational in Sunday’s second half, scoring 31 of his 40 points and finding his touch from the 3-point arc while also displaying tremendous feel as a pick-and-roll ballhandler. Sasser got himself going with some buckets around the rim out of pick-and-roll penetration, then found himself from the 3-point line and in the mid-range, as well. Sasser hit 13 of 14 shots in the second half. In the process, he got experience at a position he didn’t play much in college, point guard, and he’s not likely to see much time there with the Pistons in the near term, either, not with Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Monte Morris and Killian Hayes in the fold. But it figures to be great exposure for Sasser to be thrust into a position where he has to organize his team and process situations. He did it masterfully, finishing with five assists and zero turnovers in 29 minutes. What a finish for the 25th&nbsp;pick in last month’s draft. Even before Sunday’s scoring outburst, Sasser had impressed with his hard-nosed defense, smarts and toughness. The Pistons knew his scoring instincts would surface once he grew comfortable with the pace and athleticism and it all came together for Sasser in the Summer League finale after he had shot 4 of 25 from three over the first four games. He hit 5 of 9 on Sunday.

SUMMER STANDOUT – Despite his absence from the Summer League finale, Ausar Thompson accomplished enough in the four previous games to qualify as the most encouraging bit of work the Pistons achieved during their time in the desert. Thompson’s all-around impact on games allowed the Pistons to go 2-0 with him even after Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren and James Wiseman were shut down. His ability to affect winning in so many ways was the revelation of Summer League as he stamped himself one of the standout performers across all teams. The Pistons will go into the 2023-24 season with the best depth they’ve had in years and no urgent need to rush the No. 5 pick into the mix, but Thompson’s athleticism, defensive versatility and impact, transition flair and playmaking capability will make him an easy fit in any lineup Monty Williams might devise. Of players to play more than two games in Las Vegas, Thompson was one of only two to average a double-double at 13.5 points and 10.0 rebounds. He also averaged 2.3 steals and 1.8 blocked shots per game. He shot 46.5 percent from the field and averaged 4.3 free-throw attempts per game.

WHAT’S NEXT – With Summer League in the rear-view mirror, the Pistons will turn their attention to their off-season development program for the many young players on their roster and rounding out the roster. The Pistons still have one open roster spot and one more two-way slot to fill, if they so choose, plus determining which other players might be worthy of an invitation to training camp. There is also the possibility of trades, of course, now that the vast majority of teams have exhausted their free-agent resources and look to address roster needs they don’t feel they met via the draft or free agency. Jared Rhoden, one of their two-way contracts, sat out Friday’s fourth game but returned to the starting lineup on Sunday and finished with eight points and four rebounds. Rhoden averaged 8.3 points and 5.0 rebounds and hit 37.5 percent from three over his first four games. Malcolm Cazalon, the other two-way contract addition, sat out Sunday after drawing his first start and scoring 16 points in Friday’s win over San Antonio. Cazalon averaged 7.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 17 minutes a game over his four games.

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Sasser’s sensational 2nd half leads Pistons to Summer finale win

Three quick observations from Wednesday’s 94-90 win over the Toronto Raptors at UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center

AUSAR, CONTINUED – No surprise, the Pistons pulled Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren and James Wiseman after two Summer League games, turning the roster over to rookies Ausar Thompson and Marcus Sasser, two-way players Jared Rhoden and Malcolm Cazalon and the host of players hoping to secure an NBA future. Thompson, as he’d done in his first two games, continued to exemplify the qualities that led general manager Troy Weaver to land on him with the No. 5 pick in last months’ draft. Thompson was at the center of Pistons’ hot start – they led 18-5 midway through the first quarter – with two points, three rebounds, two steals, a blocked shot and an assist in less than seven minutes of play in the first quarter. The highlight sequence was a clean steal of fellow lottery pick Grady Dick and finishing at the other end with a reverse lob dunk off a feed from Sasser. It was another across-the-stat-sheet contribution from Thompson in a comeback win, finishing with 17 points, nine rebounds, four steals, three assists and two blocked shots. He hit his first triple of Summer League at the third-quarter buzzer to pull the Pistons within six points. The Pistons led 17-5 out of the game, trailed by 17 at one point, then rallied back in the second half. Thompson had the ball in his hands significantly more than in the first two games with Ivey in street clothes and one result of that was seven turnovers. But it was another showing that suggests Thompson is going to be hard to keep off the floor once he gets just a taste of NBA experience. “We play hard,” Thompson told ESPN after the game. “I think we’re the hardest-playing team. We were down like 17 – we never gave up. I’m happy. Love playing with those guys.”

SASSER ON POINT – With Jaden Ivey shut down, Marcus Sasser opened the game at point guard and played much of his 28 minutes there. After a sizzling start, the Pistons had trouble converting chances to score but Sasser did a creditable job of running the half-court offense. He had five first-half assists in 14 minutes of play, some of it spent off the ball, and he finished with 15 points and seven assists. Sasser came alive late in the third quarter to spark a Pistons rally, hitting a triple – he missed his first five – and following up with a drive that netted him a pair of free throws, another drive for a tough layup and yet another drive for two more free throws in the span of three minutes of playing time to dominate a 10-0 Pistons run. His tough runner with 1:08 to go gave the Pistons an 89-87 lead, their first since it was 31-30. Then his backcourt steal and layup with 30 seconds left put the Pistons ahead 91-90. Sasser didn’t get many clean looks at the basket and finished 5 of 15 from the field and 1 of 8 from three, getting caught on a few occasions in late-clock situations and forced to launch contested attempts. He’s a proven shooter, hitting 40 percent on 353 attempts over his final two seasons at Houston. It’s unlikely – given the presence of Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey and veteran newcomer Monte Morris – that Sasser is going to find himself as lead playmaker with the Pistons anytime soon. But getting repetitions at that spot in Summer League should serve him well. As with most young players, Sasser will have a narrower scope of responsibility and if he can master those few tasks – knocking down 3-point shots and pressuring the ball at the other end in his case – he’ll have a chance to earn minutes. But the Pistons are going to have plenty of backcourt depth – Alec Burks and Killian Hayes in addition to Cunningham and Ivey – and there won’t be an immediate need for Sasser to plug a hole.

ON THE MIC – During the TV telecast, ex-Pistons great and current NBA executive Joe Dumars was interviewed as was Pistons general manager Troy Weaver. While Dumars was responding to a question from the ESPN commentators about NBA rules, he interrupted his own answer after Ausar Thompson darted through the defense to dunk to say, “Boy, this kid is good.” Weaver also commented on Thompson when asked what he wanted to see him develop over the course of the summer. “Just continue to be himself. Continue to be aggressive. The coaches are having a great time working with him. I’m excited about what he’s bringing to us.” Watching from courtside seats were Pistons owner Tom Gores, incoming coach Monty Williams, Weaver and assistant general manager George David in addition to players Cade Cunningham, Marvin Bagley III, Jalen Duren, Isaiah Stewart and Isaiah Livers. Weaver also commented on the addition of veterans Monte Morris and Joe Harris. “We wanted to add some shooting and some veterans to the group and Morris and Harris definitely do that. They’ll help this young core grow and it provides some more spacing on the floor for our group. We’ve got (Bojan) Bogdanovic, (Alec) Burks, two veterans that can shoot the ball. Adding those two guys to complement our young core we think will really help us.”

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Rookies Thompson, Sasser key Pistons comeback win

Ausar Thompson and Marcus Sasser believe the dramatically different routes they took to Detroit has each poised to hit the ground running on a successful NBA career path.

Thompson bypassed college altogether, spending two years as a pioneer of the fledgling Overtime Elite program. Sasser maxed out his four years at Houston. After a handful of practices in preparation for their Summer League debuts later this week, both first-round rookies have given Pistons coaches and teammates reason to believe they’ll be ready to contribute to the franchise’s turnaround in short order.

“Without question,” Summer League coach Jarrett Jack said of the rookies possessing qualities that could get them on the floor. “I think Ausar has the potential to be one of the best young two-way players in this league. And Marcus, lightning quick. Really, really can help our pace, changing end to end, and he’s a guy who can manufacture offense on his own.”

The Pistons spent the fifth pick on the 6-foot-7 Thompson, whose identical twin Amen went one spot ahead of him to Houston. Then they packaged two future second-round picks plus the 31st&nbsp;pick, first of the second round, to trade to Boston for the 25th&nbsp;pick they used to ensure they’d land a player in Sasser who had won over everyone in their personnel department.

Where the rookies could make their mark most quickly is at the defensive end. Thompson’s package of size, length, athleticism and anticipation make him the prototype for the modern wing defender able to switch indiscriminately and allow for with latitude in defensive scheming. Sasser is an old-fashioned, in-your-face pest, someone who can force a handful of opposition possessions a game to start too late in the shot clock to get to second and third options.

“Man, how they play defense, how they’re dogs on both ends of the floor,” James Wiseman gushed when asked his first impressions of the rookies. “And really just how they’re jelling into us already. The chemistry and everything is really good.”

Incoming coach Monty Williams has had post-practice debriefings with Thompson after each session, he said, and the focus has been on one end of the floor.

“It’s mostly defense,” Thompson said. “I don’t want to give the enemy any tips, so I’m not going to say it. But, trust me, there’s stuff.”

Thompson has made the typical rookie observations about the adjustment to the spike in competition levels so far, but nothing has overwhelmed him – just as he expected after two years of competing against other players in the OTE program with the goal of careers in basketball.

“We’ve got a lot of players with a lot of high IQs, even on the Summer League squad a lot of veterans to help me, teach me every day. People are more athletic, stronger, a little smarter – especially the little guards we’ve got here. At the end of the day, basketball is basketball. I’m happy I’m learning a lot every day. I’m coming here learning more and more and more. I was better today than I was my first day, than I was my second day.”

Sasser wasn’t certain he was NBA ready after his junior season after participating in the 2022 NBA draft combine and decided to go back for his senior year.

“I had doubt I was going to get drafted and then I think going back, it was just going to help me for this year,” he said. “But going to test the waters, I think that prepared me, too, to get a little feel for how the NBA really is. I think it was the best thing for me. It was an adjustment, but not as big an adjustment as I thought it was just for the four years I spent in college. I feel like my body developed, just my IQ. I’ve seen a lot of things on the floor, so it’s not a lot to learn – but it’s a little to learn.”

One thing that Sasser came to learn immediately: Thompson is everything he was advertised to be.

“His athleticism is crazy,” Sasser said. “He’s for real. We scrimmaged today and his just IQ, his back cuts, the way he rebounds, the way he defends – the hype is real around him.”

The Pistons return the bulk of their roster, including six other players taken in the first round from the previous three drafts, and they’ll have enough veteran depth to field a rotation that excludes the rookies. But based on what they’ve shown in the early going, Thompson and Sasser aren’t going to make that an easy decision.

“Both of them play at a pretty good pace,” said Jack, a 14-year NBA veteran point guard who rejoins Williams after being a part of his Phoenix staff. “There will be some bumps in the road, of course, but that’s a part of the process of them trying to reach their potential.”

marcus sassser

Sasser’s sensational 2nd half leads Pistons to Summer finale win

Rookies Thompson, Sasser key Pistons comeback win

‘The hype is real’ – Pistons rookies make strong first impression