ehhhh... i aint sold on nothin... i'd make it a case of due diligence - and first and foremost be looking for any potential opportunity to turn 4 quarters into a dollar... barring that opportunity... trade up for scoot depending on additional cost... and from there look for the most upside in the draft...
Amen is an interesting talent but man that jumper is ****ing busted. He seems too undisciplined and got by with his great athleticism. Hard to justify picking a guy like that in the top half of the lottery.
If he is a workaholic why does his shot still suck? Not even a mid range lol His bro improved his shot somewhat but he had 0 improvement. Thats why I like Ausar more than Amen. The Twins are already 20 yrs old they aint 18. Imagine if Keegan Murray came in as raw as Jabari Smith those are the Twins.
Amen did show improvement toward the end of the season. Going from the regular season to the playoffs, he went from 66% to 77% on free throws and 25% to 30% on three point shooting. I think the reason his work didn't pay immediate dividends was because he was working on rebuilding his mechanics most of the season. You're not going to shoot well during that type of process. Have to bake your new mechanics into muscle memory and get a lot of reps. I actually wouldn't be too surprised to see him come into the league as like a 30% three point shooter, 70-75% on FTs. Some other guys who were reputed to have broken shots have managed to do that with a full offseason's work. That obviously still wouldn't be good, but it would be enough to keep defenders honest (barely).
Things change, but at this point I would be comfortable taking Amen Thompson at #4. I have seen too many players improve as deep shooters early in their NBA careers to disqualify Thompson. Also, he doesn’t have to be a snipper to be a really good player. Players with his degree of passing and athletic ability to can be very good with only a passable jump shot.
What a ringing endorsement! Both Thompson twins spend next year in the G League. They need to work on their skills against better competition and learn the NBA play, albeit against almost NBA talent.
Amen will most likely be there at 4. No 1 is Wemby, 2 is either Miller or Scoot and 3 is either Miller or Scoot. Personally I'd rather have Jarace Walker, Hendrix or even Ausar Thompson. We have 60M in capspace and the market is overflowing with PGs. I don't wanna spend the 4rth pick on a backup who can't shoot.
Why is Amen ranked higher than Ausar? They have identical everything it seems but I know twins can be tricky. With the Lopez twins you could see early on one couldn't put the ball in the basket if their life depended on it. It was early on in their rookie year when us Rockets fans were like, crap, we got the wrong Morris twin! The full house twins were overrated. Always a fan of their non twin, the Scarlet Witch. Salamanca twins both were efficient. Their cockiness did them in.
20. Houston Rockets (via Clippers): Brandin Podziemski (Santa Clara, PG/SG, Sophomore) While some teams think of Podziemski as a sleeper, he might not be there for those hoping to steal him in the second round. He'd boost the NBA's No. 27 offense and worst three-point shooting team with his high-level creativity and shot-making, even if it's for the Rockets' lackluster second unit. 4. Houston Rockets: Amen Thompson (Overtime Elite, PG/SG, 2003) Expect the Rockets to try to move up to No. 2 for Henderson, who'd form an explosive pair with Jalen Green. But Thompson is the better passer with far more size and similarly special explosiveness. Houston would play Thompson at point guard and surround him with shot-makers like Green and Kevin Porter Jr. The Rockets would then have arguably the NBA's most athletic starting guard/wing trio, although Thompson's playmaking and defense are what will ultimately separate him from other high-fliers.
The No ceilings folks are mocking Miller to Charlotte and Walker to Portland lol. Speak it to existence people!
https://theathletic.com/4506397/2023/05/17/nba-mock-draft-beat-writers-wembanyama-henderson/ 4. Houston Rockets Cam Whitmore | 6-7 wing | 18 years old | Villanova We might not see anything happen until they’re actually on the clock, but I fully expect the Rockets to trade this pick when it’s all said and done. But in the event that they don’t and opt for the best player available, I can easily see the Rockets’ brass falling in love with Whitmore. If there’s one thing this team lacks, it’s dynamic, high-upside scoring wings. Whitmore’s offensive game and its potential jump off the page — with high-level shot creation, power and smoothness to his game. Whitmore’s overall feel for the game and his defensive acumen need fine-tuning but he strikes a poised, confident figure that can step in and contribute from Day 1. —Kelly Iko
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/te...men-thompson-rockets-first-round-18103621.php 4. Houston: Amen Thompson, Overtime Elite, G, 6-7, 20 There are those who believe the presumed top three in the draft is not impenetrable. Amen Thompson’s crazy athleticism could be a reason to think it is worth another look at the options on top. Thompson’s ceiling is phenomenal, and he is a skilled playmaker at the point, but do the Rockets need another sensational athlete that does not shoot well? 20. Houston (via L.A. Clippers): Dereck Lively II, Duke, C, 7-1, 19 If the Rockets had their hearts set on drafting a seven-footer who could be a strong defensive player in the paint, they could get another chance. Lively came on late in the season, showcasing his abilities as a rim protector and potential as a rim runner with tremendous length.
You can be a workaholic, but if you have no one to teach you how to shoot then you won't succeed. Amen could be on the court shooting 8 hours a day, but if the person coaching him is not the right person it will never work. If he could figure it out on his own he would.
4. Rockets: Amen Thompson • SF • OVERTIME ELITE • 6'07" / 212 LBS Thompson is an elite playmaker who possesses the ability to make advanced reads as a potential lead guard. He profiles as someone who could be the initiator for an NBA offense, potentially setting up Houston to maximize its investments in Jalen Green and Jabari Smith Jr. 20. Rockets: Nick Smith Jr. • SG • ARKANSAS • FR • 6'5" / 185 LBS A nagging knee injury cost Smith Jr. real exposure to showcase himself on a big stage this season after carrying momentum into the season as a potential top-three pick. But the No. 1 recruit from the 2022 class, an immensely talented scorer and slasher, is still someone I think teams will be glad to bring in and develop, and in this range he'd be a no-brainer.
They're just different people with different profiles as players. Amen is more of an oversized point guard. More athletic, better playmaker, better finisher around the rim, ultimately more upside as the primary ballhandler/shot creator for a team. His brother Ausar is more of a wing, a bit less athletic, shot is closer to being functional, more consistent defensively, profiles as a secondary, off-ball creator.
He's making enough money to hire his own dev staff and shooting coach. Not having somebody teaching is not really an excuse.