Ausar Thompson blood clot update: Detroit Pistons forward out for start of training camp

Ausar Thompson has yet to be cleared for contact practice drills during NBA training camp, Detroit Pistons new president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon said Monday during media day at Little Caesars Arena.

Thompson had a blood clot in March , ending his rookie year prematurely as he missed the Pistons' final 19 games. His last game was March 9 vs. Dallas, when he exited in the first half.

Thompson, the No. 5 overall pick in 2023, was initially sidelined with what the team characterized as “asthma.” He was cleared for conditioning work by March 24 .

"He’s going through a medical process with the league and the (NBA) Players Association right now," Langdon said. "We’re supporting him as much as possible and just waiting for the resolution from the NBA and the PA. We’re excited and look forward to having Ausar back. This time I just can’t say any more to that as we’re just looking for a resolution to that process."

Langdon said the process has been going on for about a week. Thompson is allowed to do conditioning and strength training, and "a lot of non-contact drills."

Shortly after Langdon spoke, Thompson, 21, took his turn in front of media and discussed his situation.

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

"Ever since what happened, happened, I've been working out and have slowly progressed the workouts to be harder and harder. Right now I feel great, I feel perfectly fine."

REQUIRED READING: What Ausar Thompson's blood clot means for his future with Detroit Pistons

Thompson said he has already worked with Pistons new shooting coach Fred Vinson "quite a bit." He also prioritized tightening his handle this offseason with help from his brother, Houston Rockets guard Amen Thompson.

"I’m going to work to get that jumper," Ausar Thompson said. "I’m not saying nobody else doesn't work to get it, but I’m going to come in every day, and I know I bring a lot to the floor already besides that. That’s the finishing touch.

"I worked on my handle a lot, and I'm very confident in it. I worked out with my brother a lot, he's more on-ball. He was helping me with little things. We're going to see some handle."

Thompson averaged 8.8 points in 63 games (38 starts) last season, along with 6.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 25.1 minutes per game. He shot 48.3% from the field and an NBA-worst 18.6% (21-for-113) from 3-point range on 1.6 attempts per game. He was the team's best perimeter defender, averaging 1.1 steals and 0.9 blocks per game.

[ MUST WATCH: Make "The Pistons Pulse" your go-to Detroit Pistons podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts ( Apple , Spotify ) or watch live/on demand on YouTube . ]

He expects his defense to be even better this season.

"I always grew up playing another person in the league, so coming in playing defense, natural defense, instinctively was pretty easy," Thompson said. "I’m still getting better at it. Learning the little things like schemes, how to get into someone’s body. I was going off of athleticism and I think I’ve gotten better at actually knowing how to play defense and saving energy while still stopping the best player."

TIP OFF: 10 questions for 10 Pistons: What Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey and others must answer

The Pistons have 20 players in training camp , and open a five-game preseason schedule Sunday vs. the Milwaukee Bucks at Little Caesars Arena, (8 p.m., ESPN). The Pistons begin the regular season Oct. 23 at home against the Indiana Pacers.

Coming off of a franchise-worst 14-win season, Thompson said the team is ready to move forward.

"I wouldn’t say we reflect too much," he said. "We know what happened, the coaches know what happened and the new players know what happened. They came in and they brought in winning qualities. The players that were here are willing to learn. We don’t forget it but we don’t think about the past too much. We just try to move on to the future, which is great."

Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com . Follow him @omarisankofa .

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Ausar Thompson blood clot update: Detroit Pistons forward out for start of training camp