Brown only hit the extra gear the last 2 years and now is becoming a superstar in his own rights.... I always thought he was going to be just a Number 2 Option but he has shown me the way without elite handles.
I don't think Jabari Smith looked like a top 3 / potential #1 last year - but he at least was a top 10 rookie by the end of the year. Thompson doesn't loook close to that - the current crop of rookies this year (including Whitnore ) looks light years ahead of Thompson. Hopefully it's just OTE adjustment period or something - there's still time
You are consistently the most negative poster on the board. You obviously only watch one end of the court, if you can’t see the potential this kid has. He is already near elite on defense and can get to the rack with ease. He needs to finish stronger and at least start hitting the mid-range jumpers where his form looks fine. Ime sees it too and is why he is eating all of Holiday’s minutes. When Tari gets back our second unit of Amen, Cam, and Tari is going to be outstanding.
I noticed both twins are very good rebounders at their size. I am agreeing more and more of the Westbrook comp. Of course, Russ has a much better ball handling ability. But that can be fixed for Amen. What Amen will never have is Westbrook's Energizer Bunny motor.
This is the kind of "take war" silliness that makes the discussions here annoying You say things that are insanely obvious to everyone - Amen Thompson, has not looked like a high lottery pick rookie so far, and in fact is not even in the conversation for top rookies, and looks to be the second best rookie on his own team. That's just true! And some take war soldier with an axe to grind from God knows when must unload on you that you're the most negative person ever - for simply stating the fact that Amen Thompson doesn't look like a top 4 type player from the rookies. It's possible to say this and not be labeled a bad fan. It's not like I'm some clown like Bobby the great re Jalen Green from the second he was drafted. It's possible to say a guy has not been great and doesn't look like he will be - and yet not also be implying that he is the worst player in history and that you hate him with the intensity of 1000 Suns. There's room in between. Like i think Jabari Smith won't be an all star player but will be a positive value NBA player. Some people think it's impossible to believe this but it's not.
SamFischer is an intelligent poster….and shouldn’t be flamed for not always following the crowd (we need more of that on this board). As far as the comparison to Westbrook for Amen, interesting comparison and see some potential similarities but keep in mind that Westbrick is a career 31% three point shooter. Ironically, Cam last week said that Westbrook was the one he patterns his game after.
In retrospect Jabari has the highest floor and might have decent ceiling amongst the 3 of Amen,Bari, Jalen. His rebounding numbers are elite and if he can crank up his shooting he can reach 19-20 ppg if given a bigger role. Similarly Cam can get there as well. This is viewed as very positive given the disappointment about Amen and Jalen.
He definitely hasn't looked like the rookie we thought we acquired during the Summer League. He's also only been healthy for 19 games +/- . It"s going to be a learning curve for him, especially at the pg position. We know he has the courtvision and athleticism. What he needs to learn will require him to be healthy and be able to trust his body without hurting his ankle/legs again. I'm not ready to write him off just yet.
In my opinion, Amen has the most potential of the young group. His defensive skills are outstanding for a 20-year-old rookie. Considering all his skills, I think in a few years he could surpass someone like DeAaron Fox.
Watching some OTE games for the first time, it explains alot as to why Amen and Ausar are so far from being NBA ready. OTE is basically glorified AAU ball with a huge focus on creating highlight plays and going viral on social media. 90% of the players there are 16-18 year old unranked players with a handful of 3 and 4 stars here and there. The ones with actual NBA prospects like Karter Knox and Rob Dillingham are using OTE as a stepping stone into college which is much better for their development. Ausar and Amen somehow either chose or got conned into staying at OTE which in hindsight was not a good idea for them development wise. They got alot of hype on social media from dominating that league but if you look closer, they were 20 year olds beating up on a bunch of high schoolers.
He's alright, he's just on a good team unlike his less talented brother. When you can't shoot at all, it puts pressure on all your other options. On your handle, on your drive, on your cuts even. It puts pressure on the other players because your defender will confidently help defend your teammates. Some people didn't want to accept that but that's the NBA now. There's no genius that's going to solve this problem. Reminds me of when a bunch of us were saying Jabari is a good shooter and everyone was like "he's making 30% and he's open all the time, he's so far!!". Doesn't work that way. Just write this year off. He needs to taste NBA basketball and just work on his jumper all of this season and the summer and we'll see what he's got next season. Anything he gives us this season is a bonus.
He’ll be great once he learns how to dribble and shoot. The two main things a guard needs lmao. I don’t see how anyone can say he has the most potential when he’s so far behind offensively where he’s supposed to be. Amen can barely make fts, it will take years before he learns how to shoot an actual jump shot
We knew Amen was going to take some time--even his biggest boosters, myself included, said don't expect much from him for at least half a season. OTE to NBA is an big leap. It's been 19 games. We saw the same thing with Jabari last season, people jumping to conclusions. He picked it up somewhat toward the end of his rookie year, and made a big leap over the offseason, and now he's a productive starter. Gotta give Amen a chance to have at least the same arc. And honestly, he might be a bigger project who takes longer than Jabari. We didn't draft him for his immediate contributions, we drafted him for his potential to become an impact player. That's why we signed Fred to a 2+1 deal.
Amen’s about to be 21 in less than 2 weeks. He isn’t your typical young rookie. Hes way behind what someone at 21 should atleast be able to do at that age.
He’s a project, not a bust. We’ll see what things look like in year 3. But the moral of the story is @Medicine N Music is a damn good draft evaluator. I think he did get Whitmore wrong though
Haha, thanks @Aruba77. Yep, can't call Amen a bust right now as we need much more time to evaluate, but if he can't shoot, he won't be worth the #4 pick, which is what I was very afraid of. Also, can you clarify the Whitmore statement? I may have been going too hard on posters that deemed Whitmore a superstar, but I definitely don't see him as a bust. For the record, I LOVED the Whitmore pick at #20 (wouldn't have picked him at #4 though). I was a little annoyed at posters/fans on RocketsWatch telling me that Whitmore was going to be a supertstar based on his Summer League and G League play. I think Whitmore's MEDIAN outcome is a lower end starter or Corey Maggette type 6th man player w/ a 3 point shot. That is excellent median outcome for pick #20, where #20-25 picks have a 6-8% chance of being an all-star. His ceiling is obviously an all-star, but it is unlikely. I will gladly eat crow if he becomes a superstar like some fans think, as I'm a Rockets fan first. The link below has some of the best draft data. The expected outcome for the 20th pick. Basically, I expect him to be a lower end starter or very good role player. Star - 5% Solid Starter - 10% Role Player - 35% Deep Bench - 30% Bust - 20% https://www.82games.com/nbadraftpicks.htm This is what I wrote before. "Cam Whitmore - Great pick at #20, but I thought he would have been a bad pick at #4. I'm projecting him as a Corey Maggette type 6th man w/ 3 point shooting or a lower end starter, which is still a great pick at #20, but not a star. We really cannot make any projections based on Summer League or G League play."
Oh I wasn’t implying that you weren’t supportive of drafting Cam #20. I just remember you saying something on rockets watch about being worried about Cam’s lack of passing and ability to process the game. Like you said, you didn’t like him as the #4 pick. I was mostly just kidding around.
I love the sentiment but a superstar would not be a superstar if every Top 4 pick would pan out as one. You can all correct me if I am being wrong but I view a bust as someone who cannot play basketball on an NBA level....and is more likely as bad as the 15th guy on the roster. Some guys are not really busts but do not belong where they were selected. The likes of Jonny Flynn. Markelle Fultz. Jalen Green (more and more likely)
