Well, the Rockets will have workouts with him and do their diligence I'm sure. If they think his shot is too broken to be fixed and/or he doesn't want to be coached and work to fix it, then I'm sure they'll go a different direction. If they think there's a good chance they can work with what he's got, the upside is too great to ignore.
I watched a game earlier today where one of their teammates got scored on. He went out-of-bounds to get ready to in-bound the ball. The opponent who just scored on him threw him the ball. He then threw it right back at his opponent, who thanked him for the ball and scored again. I think the OTE players are slightly older, bigger, and more athletic than most realize (though still generally younger than Thompson Twins), but I can't claim they're the brightest bunch of guys (or very skilled). Though to be fair, I think guys like PJ have done similarly dumb stuff during an inbounding situation. Probably been stated before, but with the whole "they didn't dominate" thing, it also seems pretty clear when watching the games that the OTE teams seem interested in developing *ALL* the players. Which of course means you're not always having Amen or Ausar get every shot (though I'm not sure they have the stamina for that anyway). Still should have put up better stats I guess (I get it), but as with most things, the truth is much more complicated than people think.
IIRC there are three "real" OTE teams that have a lot of 18-19 year old legit prospects, and three other teams they play with that are basically glorified high school teams. So kind of a mixed bag overall.
No idea if these numbers are right, but seemed to match up with some of the spot checking I saw online (though maybe those were the "real" OTE teams): To be clear, still much younger than the twins generally speaking. Though I also think when a dude is 7'1" and decently athletic, I don't know if it matters that much whether he's 17 or 20 (at least in terms of how impressive it is that Amen/Ausar were able to score over him). For sure it is a factor, but I'm not sure how much of a factor.
I’m sure they’ll be enamored by his physical tools…it only takes 1 organization to think they can save a jump shot, and it’s not like the guys projected after him are blowing u away either
Most of you didn't want Westbrook because he couldn't shoot. Now we have an entire team that can't shoot and y'all want to add the dude who shoots worse than Stevie Wonder.
If Westbrook had been more of a high IQ guy who worked around his deficiencies better I think the non-shooting could have worked better. He jacked up too many bad shots when he should have passed instead. No way should that guy have averaged 4 three point attempts per game over his career, it should have been more like 1-2. It also would have helped if he were 6'7" with a 7 foot wingspan who could guard 1 through 3 and up to the 4 in a pinch. And despite all his deficiencies, Westbrook was still a thirty point scoring triple-double machine at his peak who made the conference finals 4 times and the NBA finals once. If Amen Thompson can turn himself into a 6'7" Westbrook with better decisionmaking, would you actually be upset with that? He has a lot of work to do to get there, but that's the maximum ceiling here if everything works out.
I know Ben Simmons and trust me this kid ain’t no Ben Simmons. This kid makes Daishaun Nix look like Steph Curry.
Also, ask Shaq how your whole life can be basketball and you can't shoot? It's clear there's a threshold of physical talent where you're still a top 5, championship-winning player even if you can't shoot at all. The question is, where is that line, and if you're below that line, how much shooting ability do you need to compensate for it.
NBA draft profile for a high floor defensive guard/wing. Has a twin. Strengths "An aggressive player on both ends of the floor, has both the strength and athleticism to create his own shot and puts constant pressure on the defense. He’s a nightmare in transition, can get wherever he needs to go in the halfcourt and has the frame to dominate smaller guards." Weakness "still isn’t considered a strong threat from deep after a subpar sophomore season." Fit "Mature athlete who still has some big upside. He has many of the tools most NBA teams covet – especially his willingness to compete on the defensive end." Spoiler ... My mistake, this was Johnny Davis' NBA.com draft profile from last year. https://www.nba.com/cavaliers/prospect-profile-johnny-davis Johnny and Jordon Davis
Hahaha, really? Come on, Davis isn't anywhere remotely near the athlete Amen Thompson is. He's like a 7.5 out of 10 as an athlete whereas Amen is as close as a real human can possibly get to 10/10. There are distinct levels to being an "athletic player", and those differences matter.
If you want to be down on Amen, at least pull out the Gerald Green comps or something. Some dude who legit was a freak athlete who couldn't play basketball. I'd still think you're wrong because I do think Amen has real basketball skills, but at least you'd be in the right ballpark physically!
prime Westbrook could at least hit a midrange jumper from time to time and shot over 80% from the free throw line if a NBA player shot blindfolded and with their off-hand, their misses would look like Amen’s
He passed the ball intelligently. He couldn't make some really easy layups. I think he made one good one. His jumper is non existent. Defense is hard to judge from highlights. I haven't been impressed by it in the Overtime Elite games. Ausar is the better defender and a slightly better shooter too. And he's far from ready too. Amen Thompson isn't good enough to be selected as the 4th pick imo. All comments are welcome.
This is pure propagandized fud. He was playing against third stringers. All the pro in quote teams he played were playing their junior teams. And Amen shat the bed in all of them. #AmenDelusionMustStop
WHAT? Why are you worried about shooting…he has a elite 1st step, elite passing and athleticism. You can teach shooting!!! You cannot teach a elite 1st step, vision or passing. Why are you worried about shooting….. I have two words for you…..Ben Sullivan WHO IS BEN SULLIVAN? Ben Sullivan is a guru shooting coach who been with SAN ANTONIO and MILWAUKEE and now Boston. Ime hired Ben Sullivan in Boston, Ben Sullivan and Ime are good friends and from the same area in Portland. This guy has help Giannis with his shooting in Milwaukee, helped players in San Antonio and helped Derrick White in Boston with his shooting this year. After Miami beat Boston in this series, Ben Sullivan is going to Houston with his good friend Ime….. Stop worrying about shooting….he is going to help Amen, JABARI SMITH and Sengun shooting…..remember that name…..Ben Sullivan
It is really just a game of which team has them over for a test drive.....except there is no test drive.
