Detroit >> Detroit Pistons second-year forward Ausar Thompson has been cleared to return by the NBA’s fitness-to-play panel, the Pistons announced Monday afternoon.

The news was first reported by ESPN, and later confirmed by The Detroit News.

“We’re happy that he’s going to be able to come back and play because that process can’t be easy,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “What he’s been through, the time that he’s had to put in, the ups and downs emotionally, those types of things; we’re happy for him that it’s over with. He gets an opportunity to come back and be a part of the group like he’s always wanted to.”

Thompson’s rookie year ended early last season due to a blood clot he sustained in March, and the illness kept the former OverTime Elite prospect sidelined throughout the first 11 games of the 2024-25 season. Although the NBA’s fitness-to-play panel has cleared him, there is no timetable for his pending return. According to Bickerstaff, Thompson will begin ramping up ahead of his season debut.

Thompson, who averaged 8.8