He played very well and under control today imo. Great minutes. He has this erratic but calm feel when he's dribbling into the paint that tends to end well.
Amen looked pretty good out there to me. He’s got a decent mid-range shot. He gets to the rim with ease. I saw some good play-making. Defensively once he picks up Ime’s system he has the potential to be one of our best defenders. I see a ton of potential there. Looking forward to getting a good look at him over the 2nd half of the season.
He looked solid out there tonight. This is the same impression that I've had of him in the limited time he's played. He usually makes the right decisions when he's on the court. He's not being wreckless out there. He's not turning the ball over every time he touches the ball. He's not chucking up bad shots. He seems to have a knack of breaking down the defense and finding the open man. He's far from a finished product. I think people here forget sometimes how bad Jabari looked most of last season. His skills were severely lacking. Could barely dribble the ball and his jumper was broken. Look how much he's improved this season. Don't know why people are so quick to write off Amen
I’m not married to Amen Thompson, and want every Rocket to improve and do well. My interest in Thompson has to do with his athleticism, size and potential. He has a very very high ceiling but also a high bust potential. Cam Whitmore is also very gifted.
Raves? Nah - unless you mean potential. I think he has a lot of upside but also a lot of risk. I am well aware he could fail - and if he is a bust I’ll admit it like I did others.
Maybe. Cam is younger, a better shooter and has very loud tools. I prefer how Thompson processes the court and passes. Time will tell - I’ll be happy if one of them pans out, both reaching their potential would be amazing.
Yeah but do you know what the MAIN difference is between Amen and everyone on that list? All of those guys had TWICE (or more) the handle that Amen does! If Amen had the handle of ANY of those guys I would be really bullish on him long term! A 6'7'' Rondo? I'd take that in a heartbeat! A 6'7'' J-Kidd? Yes please! His handle is what holds him back the MOST! Although his jumper is a fairly close second.
this is what I think too, I feel like handles allows him to utilize his passing and vision. He can get into the lane so easily, and he's not afraid of taking those short jumpers and floaters. But when he fumbles the ball it really messes up his timing on passing.
That is good to hear then because even back at OTE his scoring potential was not really that great to be in a leading position. While you can make the All Stars with a stat line of 21-9-9 with what Dejounte Murray did, Dejounte was barely an All Star and had to be the last to be selected. No problem, the other guy was just heckling me (In most things I do agree with you), I do not really care if you actually root for him or not, I just find it odd to think he is otherwordly special with this archetype. It is one of the hardest to succeed because you have to be elite at most things to make up for not being a shooter. And you are basically pressing Alperen to shoot more who is also not a great shooter. The Rockets dilemma since D'Antoni had been shooting there were too many mediocre, above average but not great shooters on the roster.
Amen could be a star. Failing that he will be a solid rotational player and no where near a bust. He already has the skills, physique and determination to be a good rebounder and defender. He has the vision to create for others. His mid range game and ability to drive look good and even if he never shoots 3s well he doesn't seem to fear taking them like Ben Simmons or even Sengun at times. Today he had a good game. I think a big part of why is because he was allowed to run point. Previously I was frustrated watching him stand in the corner while someone like Holiday runs the play. This completely wastes his skills. Today he looked a lot more involved and I am excited to see he and Tari build more chemistry as that seems a connection that just needed some polishing to really be something.
Amen will be fine because he's truly a basketball nerd and he will work hard in practice and this summer. I've always said, with Amen it's about one thing and one thing only: can he make wide open 3pters better than Russell Westbrook? If yes, he can take 3 years to improve his handle, doesn't matter, he can still be a net positive no matter where you put him. However, if you start OBSESSING about his handle now, no matter how good his handle in this era he is not playing PG for us without a 3pt shot. Even if he had the handles of Kyrie Irving, he would be a negative on the floor if he can only make 25% of his 3's. It's illogical to prioritize his handle - which btw, I'm going to laugh when his confidence improves his handle and everyone goes like "how did he improve so quickly". He's a nervous wreck a lot of the time out there, and that kind of nervous system reaction is treacherous for handling. You've seen chokers lose their handle in clutch situations. Just keep working on that 3pter Amen. I'm still very positive about his future of course, I just think he's REALLY the prospect that needs 3 years. I'm going to get so tired hearing people whine for those 3 years. It's so obvious he's not going to be what you envisioned for years. He's insanely raw and his weaknesses are food for the modern opponent. Set yourself a realistic timeline RIGHT NOW. It's NOT happening soon. Don't get yourself in a thing where you have unrealistic expectations, the kid works hard, then he doesn't meet your expectations and you question whether he's lying about his work ethic - when everyone knew all along that he's not supposed to pass the test at this phase. Don't get yourself in that mess.
60% from FT is also not getting it done, he has to shoot consistently in the 80-88% FT range and going to the line is one of the things that can help him generate more points....... The same things Giddey worked on....going to the line and develop a midrange game.
For this team I think Cam is way better. We need someone who can finish at the rim and make three pointers. Our offense is going to be run through Sengun. Amen is kinda redundant. I see the flashes but he needs to be a 36% three point shooter to ever be successful on this team. For all amens elite athleticism he has problems with his touch at the rim. Cam does not have these issues. Dude is a monster for his age and I hope he starts getting serious minutes. Sengun to a cutting cam is must see tv.
Not on defense. I think they are both going to be great. Amen is going to be our full-time backup PG very soon if not already. Thank goodness, because Holiday is reverting to his norm which is a journeyman not worthy of a rotation spot. Tate is a little better, but not rotation worthy on a good team.
If he doesn't become at least a middling shooter, he isn't going to be a star. However, shooting is something that can improve over time. I don't know if he will or will not improve enough as a shooter, but if he does, and he remains healthy - he will likely be a star with his other attributes.
His shot looked fine to me yesterday. I think Ben Sullivan will end up being worth his weight in gold to Alpi and Amen (and hopefully also to Jalen and the rest of the team).
