Inside the Article:
Detroit Pistons general manager Troy Weaver was a busy man in last night’s opening of the 2023 NBA Draft, selecting Ausar Thompson of Overtime Elite with the 5th overall selection. And as we’ve grown accustomed to, Weaver swung a deal, sending the 31st pick and future second-round picks to the Boston Celtics in exchange for the 25th pick, used on Marcus Sasser.
Troy Weaver Explains His Selections
“He adds to our culture,” Weaver said of selecting Thompson. “We got a great person, tremendous worker, tremendous human being. Great athlete. We think he has a chance to be an elite defender on the perimeter. I think he’ll take a lot of pressure off of Cade (Cunningham) and Jaden (Ivey) being able to defend the best perimeter player on the other team. But he’s more than a defender.”
“He’s dynamic with the ball. His offense is really underrated. I think we’ll see it in time. But we’re excited. I mean, to get this kind of player that can do so many things as an all-court athlete, just not (only) explosive in space, he’s all over the floor. So he brings a lot to the table. And we needed this player.”
And while it wasn’t a given that Thompson would be available with the 5th pick, Weaver had a feeling that based on Thompson’s visit with the team prior to the Draft, he’d be the right choice.
“Yeah, we had a great visit. He really leaned in,” Weaver said. “I didn’t know he said that but we had a great visit with him. He really leaned in and let his guard down. And we were able to get to know him and connect with him. And that’s always important when kids come on visits that you don’t just host them and you get a connection with ‘em. And I felt a pretty strong connection with Ausar.”
Weaver also dropped a rather telling quote when he was asked about any concerns in the differences between Overtime Elite and the NBA G-League.
“You can say that when you see something different you see something elite you know,” he said. “I think Halle Berry is pretty in church or in the grocery store.”
Wrapping It Up: Thompson & Sasser Will Be Key to Detroit’s Future
Weaver was very consistent with his belief that both selections underscore the kind of culture that they are trying to build in Detroit with the Pistons.
“In drafting, unlike trades and free agency, you get to show who you are,” Weaver said. “And these two young men represent what we want to be about here in Detroit. We doubled down hard with these two. These two young men are about the right things.”
