Amen & Ausar Thompson - Potential 2022 NBA Draft Guys

[BostonCouchGM]

wingspan is one of the most important traits and most everyone who watches prospects and comments on these boards is or at least should be, paying attention and able to gauge approximately, prospect's wingspans. You can't trust measurements, especially for height, because you never know when they're taken and how accurate they are, if they're taken and divulged to begin with. I DO think outliers often get over drafted/hyped because people are looking for that 3 and D guy that can really lock down guards/wings in ISO or 4s who can defend the perimeter on closeouts and also block shots. I know I'm guilty of it anyway. Footwork and BBIQ can mitigate average wingspan to some extent so while it's a "flaw" it's not a death sentence to have a shorter wingspan like some suggest.

I think the twins have average wingspans for what it's worth. They're both quick enough and have the defensive instincts to make it a moot point however.

[EvanZ]

Even if that's true, it's definitely not the case with Pippen lol. The dude's arms were everywhere on the court. He was the literal embodiment of Everything Everywhere All At Once.

Yeah you are starting to back off and become much more generalized. Can I tell if Kawhi or Gobert has a long wingspan? sure

But you were making it out to be like Scottie Pippen with a 7-3 wingspan was a virtual lock for the common eye. For all I know it could be 7-0 which is great still, but you are talking about it being 5 inches bigger as if both are complete knowns.

Hell, watching the Thompson Twins play it wouldn't shock me if their wingspans are larger than expected. They both are menaces in passings lanes and they glide through the air and dunk like they are giving 10% effort. I doubt they are doing all that with "bad wingspans".

I’m not backing off of anything. Pippen clearly has a monster wingspan and it should be obvious to anyone who has ever watched him play. He was quite a bit taller than MJ who was all of 6’6” if not 6’7”.

[JMAC3]

Honestly, before I started watching Thompson Twins based on the rumors of the OTE league being no defense, no good players, high schoolers and no structure I full expected to not like them. Especially since I value shooting so much when evaluating prospects. but even just watching this highlight clip, you can come away impressed with the competitiveness. There are a lot of tough half court buckets in this highlight tape.

Watch on YouTube

[Big J]

Love these kids. They have the prototype body for todays game. I could see them shooting up the boards as we get closer to the draft.

[EvanZ]

Love these kids. They have the prototype body for todays game. I could see them shooting up the boards as we get closer to the draft.

Dude, they are projected top 5 lol

[Big J]

Love these kids. They have the prototype body for todays game. I could see them shooting up the boards as we get closer to the draft.

Dude, they are projected top 5 lol

I was thinking more like a Scotty Barnes/Patrick Williams type leap where they are projected top 10, but overtake other guys.

[big-shot-ROB]

Anyone concerned about how broken Amen's shot looks?

Absolutely atrocious mechanics, zero consistency in form, horrible planting technique.

I think Amen is top-5 for me:
- Out of this world athletically both vertically and horizontally
- Good defense and lateral movement eveb if he doesn't try sometimes
- Great playmaking vision and instincts
- Great finishing at the rim to go with that vert


But man, that jumper looks super concerning. What happens if he never figures it out?
Anyone have any input if he has made strides with it the last couple years?


Ausar looks the safer pick bc of his higher floor:
- More disciplined on defense
- Jumper looks better and more fixable than Amen's

But then you're basically settling at an 75% upside of what Amen could reach.

[Big J]

Anyone concerned about how broken Amen's shot looks?

Absolutely atrocious mechanics, zero consistency in form, horrible planting technique.

I think Amen is top-5 for me:
- Out of this world athletically both vertically and horizontally
- Good defense and lateral movement eveb if he doesn't try sometimes
- Great playmaking vision and instincts
- Great finishing at the rim to go with that vert


But man, that jumper looks super concerning. What happens if he never figures it out?
Anyone have any input if he has made strides with it the last couple years?


Ausar looks the safer pick bc of his higher floor:
- More disciplined on defense
- Jumper looks better and more fixable than Amen's

But then you're basically settling at an 75% upside of what Amen could reach.

If he never figures out the jumper he's still a Shawn Marion level athlete.

[big-shot-ROB]

Anyone concerned about how broken Amen's shot looks?

Absolutely atrocious mechanics, zero consistency in form, horrible planting technique.

I think Amen is top-5 for me:
- Out of this world athletically both vertically and horizontally
- Good defense and lateral movement eveb if he doesn't try sometimes
- Great playmaking vision and instincts
- Great finishing at the rim to go with that vert


But man, that jumper looks super concerning. What happens if he never figures it out?
Anyone have any input if he has made strides with it the last couple years?


Ausar looks the safer pick bc of his higher floor:
- More disciplined on defense
- Jumper looks better and more fixable than Amen's

But then you're basically settling at an 75% upside of what Amen could reach.

If he never figures out the jumper he's still a Shawn Marion level athlete.

What's the appeal of a 6'8 non shooter? These types of guys make you lose playoff series when they're played out of the court

[clyde21]

if we're just gonna boil everything to shooting what are we even doing here? just rank players based on their 3pt% and be done with it.

[eminence]

I have a pretty big strength gap from Marion to the twins. Could get there some day, but unsure they hold up in other areas at that point. Marion was also a solid (though stupid looking) shooter.

[Big J]

I have a pretty big strength gap from Marion to the twins. Could get there some day, but unsure they hold up in other areas at that point. Marion was also a solid (though stupid looking) shooter.

Twins will definitely close the strength gap. Dudes are wiry as ****. Just give them a couple of years on the juice.

[Hal14]

Anyone concerned about how broken Amen's shot looks?

Absolutely atrocious mechanics, zero consistency in form, horrible planting technique.

I think Amen is top-5 for me:
- Out of this world athletically both vertically and horizontally
- Good defense and lateral movement eveb if he doesn't try sometimes
- Great playmaking vision and instincts
- Great finishing at the rim to go with that vert


But man, that jumper looks super concerning. What happens if he never figures it out?
Anyone have any input if he has made strides with it the last couple years?


Ausar looks the safer pick bc of his higher floor:
- More disciplined on defense
- Jumper looks better and more fixable than Amen's

But then you're basically settling at an 75% upside of what Amen could reach.

If he never figures out the jumper he's still a Shawn Marion level athlete.

What's the appeal of a 6'8 non shooter? These types of guys make you lose playoff series when they're played out of the court

PG's who can't shoot also win MVP sometimes (D-Rose, Westbrook). And Amen is way taller than them.

[HiDef]

Honestly, before I started watching Thompson Twins based on the rumors of the OTE league being no defense, no good players, high schoolers and no structure I full expected to not like them. Especially since I value shooting so much when evaluating prospects. but even just watching this highlight clip, you can come away impressed with the competitiveness. There are a lot of tough half court buckets in this highlight tape.

+1

I was worried about Ausar not showing anything to prove he could be a real guard in the league. Didn't really get who he would be in the NBA. his agility isn't too far off from his brother, he's creative and super athletic with the ball. The **** these guys can do is unreal.

[big-shot-ROB]

If he never figures out the jumper he's still a Shawn Marion level athlete.

What's the appeal of a 6'8 non shooter? These types of guys make you lose playoff series when they're played out of the court

PG's who can't shoot also win MVP sometimes (D-Rose, Westbrook). And Amen is way taller than them.

D-Rose won an MVP more than 10 years ago, Westbrook has had a killer mid range game since his 3rd-4th year. Amen's shot looks like what would happen if Ben Simmons actually attempted to shoot. He shot 25% from 3 and 65% from FTs.

Not trying to start a conversation here about just 3pt shooting, just wanted to ask people if they see any path with him where he gets to league average or if they seen any improvement over the the past two years

[Hal14]

What's the appeal of a 6'8 non shooter? These types of guys make you lose playoff series when they're played out of the court

PG's who can't shoot also win MVP sometimes (D-Rose, Westbrook). And Amen is way taller than them.

D-Rose won an MVP more than 10 years ago, Westbrook has had a killer mid range game since his 3rd-4th year. Amen's shot looks like what would happen if Ben Simmons actually attempted to shoot. He shot 25% from 3 and 65% from FTs.

Not trying to start a conversation here about just 3pt shooting, just wanted to ask people if they see any path with him where he gets to league average or if they seen any improvement over the the past two years

That's fair. And to be honest, the shooting is the main reason I actually have Ausar ranked (slightly) higher than Amen.

Back to Amen - even if we're more realistic and don't comp him to any former MVP's, he could still end up being like a taller D'aAron Fox or a taller Rondo, which would still be good value in the top 5.

[EvanZ]

Love these kids. They have the prototype body for todays game. I could see them shooting up the boards as we get closer to the draft.

Dude, they are projected top 5 lol

I was thinking more like a Scotty Barnes/Patrick Williams type leap where they are projected top 10, but overtake other guys.

They are literally already projected top 5. They've been top 5 the entire cycle.

[Big J]

Dude, they are projected top 5 lol

I was thinking more like a Scotty Barnes/Patrick Williams type leap where they are projected top 10, but overtake other guys.

They are literally already projected top 5. They've been top 5 the entire cycle.

Then why is Auser at 7 on KOC’s big board?

[JMAC3]

Anyone concerned about how broken Amen's shot looks?

Absolutely atrocious mechanics, zero consistency in form, horrible planting technique.

I think Amen is top-5 for me:
- Out of this world athletically both vertically and horizontally
- Good defense and lateral movement eveb if he doesn't try sometimes
- Great playmaking vision and instincts
- Great finishing at the rim to go with that vert


But man, that jumper looks super concerning. What happens if he never figures it out?
Anyone have any input if he has made strides with it the last couple years?


Ausar looks the safer pick bc of his higher floor:
- More disciplined on defense
- Jumper looks better and more fixable than Amen's

But then you're basically settling at an 75% upside of what Amen could reach.

Amen shooting is definitely a concern, but that is basically it. Everything else I feel pretty good about both in the short term and long term. He also has shown flashes of shooting the ball better especially from free throw line.

For those worried about their league, they played several games vs Euro teams to start the year like
Mega Mis (with Nikola Djurisic)
Amen had 18/10/9
Ausar had 18/11/5

Adelaide
Amen had 17/8/5
Ausar had 14/4/4

Giddey averaged 11/7/7 in the NBL

[EvanZ]

I was thinking more like a Scotty Barnes/Patrick Williams type leap where they are projected top 10, but overtake other guys.

They are literally already projected top 5. They've been top 5 the entire cycle.

Then why is Auser at 7 on KOC’s big board?

Givony has them top 5 the entire cycle. That's literally the only board that matters and you know it. And so what if he has Ausar 7? Is he going to "shoot" up to 5? Just take the L and move on bro. It was a weird point to be dying for.