I'm too lazy to dig it up, but I vaguely remember talk about Lucas trying to speed up his shot, or something along those lines. Jabari worked on his shot on his own (with his dad) during that All-Star Break, and he did shoot a little better after that. I thought that was...interesting. I recall those reports of Lucas working with Green to adjust his shot to account for his groin injury too...which sounded odd to me as well. The truth is probably more complicated and not that simple as "the Rockets screwed up his shot," though I will say...I don't have the most confidence in Lucas and the Rockets development staff based on what we've seen so far (at least for shooting development). Udoka can change things, though I'm curious how much of the development staff he'll change. If he keeps Lucas (and doesn't get someone like Ben Sullivan), I might be a bit concerned. Though I guess it is also on the players to just make it all work. Maybe shouldn't put so much importance on these coaches.
Other than Wemby, there is no single player that can change the outlook of a franchise completely. Success or 'to succeed' it is a relative term.
Yeah. You can succeed in drafting a good player, you can succeed on starting the season healthy, etc. That's what i meant.
Number of NBA players averaging more than 9 assists per game over the last 5 years: 3, 4, 2, 2, and 1. Marbury never topped 9 in a full season (He did in years he only played in 18 and 47 games). Number of NBA players in the Top 10 for 3pt percentage who shot over 38% during the last 5 years: 10/10, 10/10, 10/10, 10/10, 10/10. The lowest number among those 50 players was Korver at 41.7%. You have to go back to 91-92 to find someone who made the Top 10 without reaching 40% and that was Hersey Hawkins at 39.7%
I don't think I've seen one credible person rank Ausar over Amen. At least not one whose opinion I particularly care about. Both have issues with their jumpers, so let's not pretend Ausar magically turned into a knockdown shooter over night. The Thompson twins have only been working with Mike Miller for roughly a year now, which is when they retooled their shots. Amen and Ausar both need to continue to improve upon their shotmaking, but let's make one thing clear. An improved J for Amen impacts his ceiling whereas an improved jumper for Ausar is more about solidifying his floor.
I'm not going to knock the kids' character (hell I overlook the character issues of Miller) .... But I am going to point out that he has known that shooting was a problem for the last two years. He's also been getting professional coaching for the last two years. There has been "some" improvement ..... but not enough to be even close to league average and he has to shoot at about league average to, as you stated before - "keep defenses honest." You seem to believe that because he's a hard worker he's going to fix this problem .... but history has shown us otherwise. More than 60%+ of first round draft picks don't get a second contract .... that should be an indicator of how many of these flawed players are out of the league in 3 years. This pick, IF they actually use it is very important considering the fact that they won't control their own pick again for 3 years. You really have to believe that the odds of Thompson fixing his shooting problems to be very high to make that decision because otherwise, he's a bust. I just can't buy into the idea that he fixes his shot being even 50-50 after two years of pro coaching and a lifetime of doing nothing but basketball. And then there is the question of quality of competition which hasn't been answered .... 20 years old playing against 16-18 year olds .... and they don't necessarily dominate them, but somehow, they are going to dominate at the NBA level?
I think Madison (the guest in the OP's video) is the big one I know that likes Ausar over Amen (he's not really big, but big amongst Rockets fans). No Ceilings seems to have Ausar over Amen as well. I haven't seen boards for some guys though. I do think the best draft guys seem to have Amen over Ausar, but I think *most* agree it is really close, and depending on the team, it might make sense to take Ausar over Amen. I have seen a few folks have Ausar *way* below Amen, though those were typically more obscure draft people. edit: What I do find interesting is that most of the guys that have Amen over Ausar also typically say something like "Even with no shot, he is a potential multi-time all-star." I know I'm repeating myself here, but I feel like if guys like Spinella, Vecenie (sorta), Barlowe, etc., are saying stuff like that...then maybe that means something.
I enjoy Madison's viewpoints, but his only claim to fame as far as I can tell is having been high on Jalen Willaims when most took a while to come around. And the main reason he was so high on J Will in the first place was due to having watched videos posted by Spinella and Vecenie...
Just to be clear I think there's only a chance that he fixes the shooting problem. Maybe like a coin flip at best. I just know that we've seen a lot of non-shooters come into the league and fix their shots. If guys like Blake Griffin and Rajon Rondo can do it, there's clearly at least a chance, I'm sure you would agree? I also think there is a chance he's still a starting-caliber player even if he never learns to shoot better than 28% or so. I don't think he's necessarily a total bust if he doesn't learn to shoot; he's probably not a star, but he could still be end up around the level of the median outcome for a Miller, Walker, Hendricks type of player. Yes, he would have to be a truly excellent passer and defensive player who is very good at moving without the ball, but those things look very possible for him. If Marcus Smart and Markelle Fultz can start in today's league as much shorter, much less athletic players then there is at least a pathway for Amen to do it too. Remember, we're not talking about some skinny 6'1" point guard, he's 6'7" with a 7' wingspan and elite leaping ability/lateral agility. He's almost as tall and long as the average NBA power forward.
Not sure what your point is seems like a bunch of arbitrary stats. Amen averaged 9.2 ast in 5 games that's even less than the Marbury seasons you discounted but you are comparing him to NBA players who averaged 9 Asts over the last 5 years?
I don't know if I agree they "fixed" their shots .... but in the case of Rondo, it was his 10th year before he shot league average. It was also year 10 for Griffin to shoot above league average on any volume - unless you count the 10/25 for the season in 2014. After that 10th year, he never shot league average again (From 3). I do agree there have been some examples of players improving shooting, lots of them but just as many, if not more have failed in that regard. If it's a coin flip - and that's giving generous odds, that's the kind of decisions that cost a GM his job. Here's where the rubber meets the road - you don't see these guys as having remotely the same potential as Thompson and I think that's underselling them considerably. Miller is as unique a player as Thompson being a 6'9" shooting guard who can do a little of everything. If he reaches the potential of PG13 or TMac .... that's no worse than Amen's potential. Walker has similar upside. Sounds like we are talking about Cade Cunningham .... who's shooting percentages declined year over year. (as did Jalen Green's).
Lots to unpack here but I'll do my best: Rondo & Griffin: I think their shots were a lot more broken than Amen's when they were prospects, that's why I chose them as examples. Obviously you'd hope his timeline is faster than theirs. If you watched those guys, especially Blake, play as rookies you would think they were Dwight Howard-level doomed as shooters. No touch. Absolutely hopeless. But even guys like that can be taught. Miller & Walker: I don't want to derail this into a Miller thread, but I'll just say once again I don't see the same level of athleticism as PG13, let alone T-Mac. Think we're just going to have to agree to disagree on this one! If he's available at #4, that probably means Scoot & Amen are off the board, and I'm okay with the Rockets taking him... if that happens I'll hope I'm wrong and you're right about his potential. He's going to be a good player in the NBA regardless. And yeah, I do like Walker, but he is shorter than I thought and plays way too soft for a guy with his build--a big part of his upside is based on his strong, powerful build, but he hasn't shown many signs of using that advantage on the offensive end, and that worries as much as Amen's shooting. He should be bulldozing through skinnier college players in the paint and make strong moves to the bucket, but he settles for floaters a lot instead. Cade: He only played 12 games this season... got hurt and never got into a rhythm. I'm still a huge believer in his game. Not the same level of athlete Amen Thompson is though. He's more smooth and crafty than he is explosive. I still think he is the best overall prospect from 2021. These oversized, high-IQ playmaker types are the future of the league, IMO. Giddey has arguably been the most productive of that class so far and he has a similar profile, just a little less upside.
This discussion is just sad, originally it was hopes for Wemby, then Scoot, then Brandon Miller. Now we are down to Amen Thompson. It boils down to we have a "chance" at an decent player who can take years to develop. Tank strategy at it's finest. If I had to pick between Amen and Ausar, it's Ausar. Compare the last 15 games the two of them played. It's no contest.
Ausar did win the last 4 MVP in the OTE league, both in regular season and playoffs. If you watch the game against Omaha(g league players and oversea professional) at the end of the game and when it was close he seem to be the best person of the team because they kept putting the ball in his hands. He is a elite defender and elite athlete. He shot over 30% at the 3 point line last year so his shot is not broken. He is athletic elite as Scoot, taller, better shooter at the 3 and better defender. I think I would trade with Orlando pick Ausar and then at 11 draft Anthony Black or Dereck Lively or Jalen Hood. I know Ausar can play in this league but he will not be a STAR but a elite role player, all nba defense team….. https://youtube.com/shorts/IGvuPW3oDfY?feature=share
