Read somewhere that twins feel each others pain, happiness etc. so if Ausar has a bad game Amen will **** the bed as well. If Ausar ruptures his achilles Amen will be in danger too. Can't have that.
I’m not sure Amen at four is a good move, he does little to help in the short term if vet point guards are incoming, and his long term value is contingent on fixing a broken shot. Big gamble.
I feel Amen would eventually become a good secondary option on a good team but the Rockets are stacked with secondary options.......
I think both these guys have a bright future. So many people saying we should try to trade up because these 2 can't shoot. I think they probably don't know Scoot and Wemby's 3pt percentages. Ausar shot better than both of them last year. For me I take the guy with the MVP and the 2 Finals MVPs (Ausar). Both of these guys have the tools and attitude to be great. I don't think it will take long for them to be productive in the league even though they will have lots of room for improvement.
You might have to. Twincest is for real. You separate them for the first time and they will have all sorts of anxiety and depression.
I love Madison, and he's way smarter than me, which makes the rest I'm about to say moot. But yeah I really don't agree with some of his takes about Ausar/Amen, especially in regards to shooting. I mean sure, Ausar is definitely a little better than Amen, but I am not nearly as optimistic about him being a sure-fire 35-40% 3pt shooter. He did catch fire in the ~5 game playoffs (38.5% on nearly 8 3pa per game). But these were mostly all unguarded, catch and shoot 3s (I think mostly generated by Amen?), and he still needed to take his time in shooting those shots. In the regular season, his shooting splits were still pretty terrible IMO, and I'd be worried they could go back to those kind of numbers. I mean, at the halfway mark of the season, Amen was shooting 82% from the FT line, so you need to be careful with some of these small samples (though I agree I'd prefer using the latest data set, especially from playoffs). I also think it is odd to claim Ausar could essentially do what Amen does if he was just plopped into the PG role, but Amen couldn't up his percentages if he was given a similar role as Ausar. I think Ausar was great in the playoffs, but from what I watched, it largely seemed like he was the goto option, largely with Amen setting him up in his spots. I think these were by design, and probably something that was done in practice quite a bit. Amen didn't take a ton of 3s in comparison, though it felt like the ones I saw were...less planned. Not a huge excuse (he was still generally wide open), but from a reps perspective, I wonder if Amen could have shot better if he practiced in that role all season and took those shots from his "spots" so to speak. And personally...I kinda think Amen just has an innate edge in creativity and playmaking/vision that I just don't know if Ausar has (I don't agree that Ausar can or has made *every* read/pass Amen has made). I think it is much more likely that Amen matches Ausar's shooting ability than Ausar matches Amen's playmaking. Though I do think Ausar is very much a plus playmaker, especially for a wing. To be clear, as everyone says, they are *very* close and almost identical in a lot of ways. I just lean towards Amen with some of these things (and also acknowledge Ausar being superior in some other ways, especially some skill-based stuff). I will also point out that I don't necessarily think they're projects. Or I don't think they're bigger projects than JG, Jabari, or KPJ were. In many ways, I think these kids are possibly more skilled than any of those guys when they joined the team. Of course, those guys have all had 1, 2, or 3+ years playing against NBA competition and getting NBA reps, so they're not equals *now* which is the more important evaluation. Still...I'd actually be tempted to give someone like Amen a lot of reps, especially once he recovers from the initial shock of NBA physicality and speed. He'll struggle quite a bit on both sides of the ball, but I think he'd be a huge benefit in transition and with his playmaking. He flat out makes reads and passes that I don't think anyone else on the team can make. I don't think he's some guy you throw in the G League for 2 years and hope maybe he can be a backup in year 3. Basically the same for Ausar, though I'm not sure he fits as well as Amen.
Sounds like that podcaster dropped the ball big time. The Thompson twins have identical wingspans. At this stage of their development Ausar is neither that much stronger nor that much better of a jumpshooter thus all these points seem moot.
All signs point to Ausar or Scoot! reason: Rockets only like to use the first round selections on players with 5 letter first or last names. P.a - Cason Wallace is a player they will take if we go back in the draft. @J.R.
You make a compelling case for Amen at 4. His fast twitch athleticism and reads probably make it worth the risk that he will always shoot like Russ from 3
I'll post it. People will get mad. Whatever. This OTE is billed as a league for 16-18 year olds. I've looked up some of their ages and most are 17 or 18 years old. Their site says some are 15 years old (!) but I'm assuming that's wrong. At least one player has N/A next to age. I guess his age is not applicable. Other people have said it but many people want to ignore it: the Thompson twins are not ready to go from the rec league to the NBA as top draft picks. Sure, they can go in the first round somewhere. In the lottery, nope. (I'm not a big fan of the gleague either but that's another story). The twins look "amazingly athletic" versus a bunch of high school players. They won't look amazingly athletic versus NBA players. And if they do, they still can't shoot. Against high schoolers! Those who want Amen (or maybe Ausar) talk about how if they just fix their shot they'll be all-stars. First, we hear that every year about players who CAN SHOOT. "Player X is so athletic that he's a definite allstar." Many people are so ready to believe. Even if they get a shot that does not mean they'll be great players. They've been playing against boys. AND, it's not easy to develop a shot. The twins are almost 20.5 years old and can't shoot. They've been relying on athleticism this whole time and either haven't tried to improve their shot or haven't been able to do so. Stay far away. Or better yet, trade that pick to someone who wants them at 4.
It would be foolish to write off a guy because he played in OTE, overseas, G League, mid major, etc. That said, the shooting is a concern but it’s hard to see anyone else at 4 with star potential.
If Amen just shoot average at the 3 point line, he will be a multi all star. Amen has played against pro basketball players and filled up the box score
