This is a great comp and I think pretty reasonable for him to attain. Taking it a step further I think his absolute ceiling is a modern version of Scottie Pippen (yes, I know he's an a**hat).
Amen just needs to he confident enough in his scoring ability and he'll be the best player on the team. Amen with any sort of consistent scoring package where he can score 20+ PPG on good efficiency is a Top 15 player in the league. Alpy is already a Top 20 player so that would put us in a really good spot. I'm bullish on Amen becoming 6-8 Ja Morant with better defense and Sengun developing on offensive package that's the middle point of Dirk Nowitzki and Nikola Jokic.
we're talking about ceiling not rookie year unless you think Amen has reached his ceiling in his first year I posted this before
I don't see him as a perimeter ISO guy any time soon. His handle isn't quite there. I think the shortest path for Amen to be a dominant scorer is abusing smaller guards in the post like a Payton or Penny used to in the 90s. I've seen some promising clips of him doing just that in this summer and training camp.
He's always been an on-ball creator and he will continue to be one. He's not going to be a Draymond/Marion in this offense. He will probably be the primary creator down the road with Reed being the second option. At least that's what I believe. The writing is on the wall. He's been saying how he studied tape of SGA/Ja/Butler. He said he prefers the ball in his hands. The coaching staff has said that they want FVV on ball less this year. And simply put....this team can't have Fred playing 37 minutes a night. As good as Reed will be, he can't beat his man off the dribble like Amen (or Jalen). Can mitigate this with good screens but Amen doesn't even need this. Ultimately if Amen develops a floater and decent Butler/Derozan mid-range he will be the #1. As far as his dribble is concerned....only Fred and Holliday can dribble on this team in any sort of capacity. Everyone else is a work in progress.
Pippen Especially the lockdown Defense/PointFoward running offense part Pippen was streaky shooter but supreme jack of all trades and in prime no doubt a top 10 defender candidate all time The combo of Eason/Amen etc has to have Udoka amped inside out
I could see that actually. One of the more realistic comps so far, though I think Amen probably has him beat in terms of athleticism (and Pippen unquestionably has current Amen beat skill-wise.)
I disagree with the premise, my comparison was IQ as a rookie and his all around game, not just offense or passing. IQ and processing speed is also based on defense which is 50% of the game. Jock Landale is also 28 years old and a veteran, Thompson is a 21 year old rookie playing out of position and thriving against bigs as a PG. Amen is head and shoulders above these players including rookie Landale when you compare efficient, intelligent shot attempts, rebounding, passing, steals, blocks and smokes them on defense. You don't get all those other skills and reads down effectively without a high level of IQ, processing speed and mental strength. Amen has been called a BB nerd in addition to his physical gifts. 21 year old Landle can't hold a candle to Amen as a rookie in defensive IQ, so we can agree to disagree here. His ceiling is sky high and arguably the best on the team imo. Whether he fulfills that potential we'll see but I'm excited to watch.
Ceiling is so subjective. I’ll say this - he is arguably the best athlete in the NBA, certainly top 5. He has the size and wingspan to be elite as well… his IQ and work ethic is strong as well. His handle needs to improve - but I believe it will. The question is shooting the ball and his struggles shooting the ball cannot be over looked. There is a realistic chance he improves his shooting and becomes a star. I just am apprehensive about assigning a ceiling for him. There is a world where he is a top 3 player in the league - but there is also a world where is is Brewer.
I'm not sure about comps, but his ceiling is the highest on the team IMO. He has three things you can't really teach: he's a physical freak, he has a high basketball IQ, and he loves the game. Guys with those three attributes tend to work out.
Last year, Amen was already better than Corey Brewer's best season. His floor is significantly higher than a player like Corey's because Amen's feel for the game is almost as elite as his athleticism.
Amen will be better than Brewer - but sometimes when players do not develop particular skills, they are forced to limit their game in other ways to get playing time as a role player. That could happen to Amen if his shooting touch and handle don’t develop. Thompson is a better defender than Brewer - but their low outcomes are similar. Athletes that defend and cannot shoot.
I don't see Magic when I look at Amen. I think maybe the best comp right now is for him to eventually become a shinier Penny, but even that doesn't quite fit. The dude is just unique and we are lucky to have him.
I would suggest that some of us who don't believe that Amen can pass to please go back and really watch his OTE footage. Don't focus on the competition. Just his passing chops. It's the most underrated part of his game. He hasn't had a chance to show it yet. He doesn't telegraph his passes. He's a natural at manipulating defenses with his eyes. He delivers passes to shooters that are directly in their shooting pocket. The crazy thing is that passing was his number one offensive "skill" coming into the league. If he gets a decent amount of on ball reps he gets I think that many of you will eventually see it. I think that he's best natural passer on the team.
Nobody's saying he can't pass, we're saying he's not Magic Johnson. Those are 2 very different statements. Lots of people can pass very very well, even most of those aren't close to Magic Johnson.
I'm certainly not one who says Amen "can't" pass... but this is an awful argument. I have looked like Lebron when playing against 5 year old kids... Level of competition is the most important factor. Some of the worst NBA players ever would look like the greatest player ever in random pick up games... and that's about the OTE level of competition.
I get that. I know that the competition made him difficult to scout. I watched that kid for over two years. I was like everyone else after I saw him shoot. I wrote him off initially as a prospect that I would want on the Rockets. Horrible shot against much lesser competition wasn't an attractive look. But I kept watching him. And slowly I started to realize that if you could look beyond that ugly shot that their was hidden beauty in his game that was special. The athleticism was obvious. But his passing ability and his basketball IQ were rare for just your run of the mill athletic freak. Admittedly I've got a soft spot for Amen But I'm not just throwing out statements just for some kind of shock value. I really watched this kid. Probably a little too much. I can't defend the competition that he playing against. It was trash. But I can advise you from my personal experience with him. Before writing off any aspect of this kids game (shooting aside) just keep watching. If I'm wrong I have no problem taking an L on this one.
Using Magic is a triggering comp. Understood. It's really hard to find a legit comp for him. Jumbo Westbrook with an high IQ? Penny with a worst shot, and not quite as smooth? Pippen? That's what makes predicting his ceiling so difficult imo.
