Pistons' Ausar Thompson still not cleared for action due to blood clot

DETROIT (AP) — Detroit Pistons small forward Ausar Thompson is being held out of contact drills at the start of training camp after having a season-ending blood clot during his rookie year.

Pistons president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon said Thompson is working through a medical process with the NBA and National Basketball Players Association.

Thompson said Monday that he feels great, but doesn’t know when he will be fully cleared for training camp.

“It’s not really in our hands,” he said. “No timeline right now.”

Langdon said Thompson has been cleared for non-contact drills, conditioning and strength training.

“We’re supporting him as much as possible and just waiting for the resolution,” Langdon said at the team’s media day. “We look forward to having him back.”

Detroit drafted the 6-foot-6 Thompson with the No. 5 overall pick in 2023 out of the Overtime Elite developmental program. He averaged 8.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 63 games.

He played his last game of the season March 9 and later that month, the team announced he would miss the rest of the year due to a blood clot.

“I’m glad the doctors caught it,” former Pistons coach Monty Williams said last spring.

The team previously said doctors cleared Thompson to resume conditioning after last season along with non-contact basketball activities and expected him to make a full return for the 2024-25 season.

Detroit is revving up another rebuilding plan this season under owner Tom Gores, trying to restore pride for a three-time championship franchise that had the NBA's worst record the last two years.

The Pistons haven’t won a playoff game since 2008, when they appeared in the Eastern Conference finals for the sixth straight year, and have been the last-place team in the Central Division the past four seasons.

Langdon is leading the front office after being hired to replace fired general manager Troy Weaver, whose teams won 23% of games in four seasons. The Pistons hired coach J.B. Bickerstaff following a move to let Williams go one season into his six-year, $78.5 million contract.

Cade Cunningham, the No. 1 pick overall in 2021, signed a $224 million, five-year contract extension to stay with a team that added some veterans in the offseason to join Jalen Duren and Jaden Ivey.

The Pistons signed Tobias Harris and Malik Beasley, acquired Tim Hardaway Jr. from Dallas in a trade and selected Ron Holland of the G League Ignite with the No. 5 pick in the NBA draft.

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