Welcome to adulting — and to Detroit — Ausar Thompson.
The NBA rookie and new Piston has gotten a taste of the city's culture and is settling into his newfound adulthood for the first time since getting picked No. 5 in the 2023 NBA draft. His twin brother, Amen Thompson, was selected just ahead of him at No. 4 by the Houston Rockets.
"He's a minute older than me, and any sibling rivalry?" the 21-year-old tells TODAY.com before pausing and scoffing.
"Who was going to get drafted first?" Thompson says. “He clowns me about that all the time."
When house shopping in a video posted to Overtime's YouTube account, Amen said his twin is "going to have a fifth-pick-of-the-draft-type of house, not a top-four though.”
"He's always trying to rub it in my face," Thompson says, referencing the housing comment.
House shopping at 20 years old, moving to Detroit, joining the NBA and creating an identity outside of being a twin has all boiled down to one big adjustment, Thompson says.
“It’s been interesting to experience a lot of new things weather-wise and league-wise,” Thompson says. “Just adjusting. This is my first time seeing snow. First time seeing ice on the sidewalks. That threw me off.”
"It's weird. It is definitely different being an individual. It’s rare they bring up Amen here. I’m just so used to him being brought up, like, 'Where’s your brother?'"
Ausar thompson said of his newfound individualism
Thompson is also slowly learning about Detroit's culture.
"I've heard of Buffs. Those are the glasses. I've never heard of Better Made chips," he says when asked about two products famous in the city.
Buffs are a type of Cartier sunglasses popular in Detroit and are known as a status symbol and fashion accessory. Piston Cade Cunningham famously put on a pair after he was drafted in 2021. Former Michigan head football coach Jim Harbaugh wore a pair after winning the college football title last month.
Better Made chips was founded in Detroit in 1930 and the barbecue flavor specifically is a Detroit favorite.
In addition to finding out more about Detroit, Thompson is learning from his family members how to care for his new house and pay bills, he says.
"It's my first time living in my own place and having to pay for it," he says. "So I definitely have people who are experienced and help me more because I'm a rookie in that aspect as well."
The combo guard-forward says adulting hasn't fully hit him yet.
"I usually have somebody here with me, whether it's my mom, my dad or my older brother (Troy Thompson Jr.) so it kind of feels like how it's been my whole life," he says.
Noticeably absent from that picture, though, is his twin brother, who has his own life in Houston with the Rockets.
"It's weird," Thompson says of not being with his twin as often as he once was. "It is definitely different being an individual. It’s rare (teammates and coaches) bring up Amen here. I’m just so used to him being brought up, like, 'Where’s your brother?'
"I'll be talking to him about something that happened at practice to somebody on the staff and they'll be like, 'Who's that?' And I'm like, dang. They really don't know who that is because he's not here. That's the weirdest thing."
Thompson says he's still adjusting to this change.
"It's something I'm getting used to. I prefer to be with the guy. But while I'm not, I'm just locked in on trying to get to know these guys and build a bond with them, some brother-like," he says.
The Pistons have struggled mightily this season. They are currently 6-41, which includes a record-breaking 28-game losing streak. But they have won two of their last four games.
Thompson says he's learning how small mistakes can compound to lose a game.
"Little mistakes can bite you. There's something you think is so little, but it expands like the butterfly effect. Even if it doesn't seem like it's your fault, they'll show you the film and you're the reason somebody else got scored on," he says.
Thompson says he and the Pistons are focused on hitting mini-milestones to reach their goal of winning more.
"We're on a one-game winning streak," he said after the Pistons beat the Charlotte Hornets on Jan. 24. "I'm trying to get it to two."
The Pistons lost their next game against the Washington Wizards, but won their following game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Jan. 28. The Pistons then lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Jan. 31.
The Detroit Lions inspire them to withstand the highs and lows — OK, very lows — of a season, Thompson says. The NFL team, which previously had a 0-16 season in 2008, competed for the NFC championship on Jan. 28 after playoff wins against the Los Angeles Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They raced out to a 24-7 halftime lead in the NFC championship game before losing to the San Francisco 49ers.
Detroit, and the state of Michigan at large, rallied around the Lions, a team that has never appeared in the Super Bowl, along their playoff run.
"Just being around and seeing how the fans react," Thompson says, "Detroit has some die-hard fans, not just in Michigan."
Thompson says during one of the Pistons' games against the Milwaukee Bucks, "people had Tampa Bay jerseys on and every time they showed them, they're just booing them as loud as possible."
"And every time somebody had a Lions jersey on, cheering as loud as possible," he says. "That atmosphere makes you want to get to that level where they're cheering for you like that."
Thompson says the next step on the adulting front is to do some community service.
"I'm trying to get more into it because coming into this, all I've thought about is basketball my whole life," he says. "I'm definitely trying to be — obviously, I'm a basketball player — more than that. One thing I'm interested in is helping people. I'm just learning."
