Detroit Pistons' Ausar Thompson finishes third in Defensive Player of the Year

Detroit — The NBA announced on Monday evening that San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama has been named the Defensive Player of the Year for the 2025-26 regular season. Wembanyama delivered one of the most dominant performances in league history. He averaged a league-high 3.1 blocks per game with 197 total rejections. Wembanyama also notched 11.5 rebounds and 1.0 steals.

Wembanyama won the award unanimously. Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Chet Holmgren finished in second place, while Ausar Thompson of the Detroit Pistons came in third.

Although Thompson fell short of winning the league honor, it does not diminish the success of his career year. As a two-time Defensive Player of the Month for both January and March, he led the league in steals, averaging 2.0 steals per game with a total of 146 steals this season. Additionally, he averaged 69 blocks and 5.7 rebounds over 73 games.

Thompson was vital to the Pistons finishing the regular season with the league's second-best defense, posting a rating of 108.9.

Detroit Pistons guard/forward Ausar Thompson (9) knocks the ball from Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) in the first half. Detroit Pistons vs Los Angeles Lakers, at Little Caesars Arena on Monday, March 23, 2026, in Detroit, Mich.