If you're on the fence about Amen or just want to get hyped about the possibility of him at 4, I recommend checking out the The Ringer's most recent NBA Draft podcast. KOC has Danny Chau on and asked him who his favorite prospect is, and Chau spends 15 minutes raving about Amen's uniqueness as a prospect. The two also take 2-3 minutes to talk about how perfect his fit is with Houston and why that's the best case scenario for him. I've always felt like Amen was the guy at 4, but given the talent in this draft, I've admittedly come close to wavering at times. I needed to hear that on my drive to the office this morning. Definitely worth a listen if you need a pick-me-up before tomorrow night.
I am amazed at how many people are firmly against one of the most unique prospects of all time who fits multiple needs this team has. There are people on this website acting like he has zero discernable skills on a basketball court.
Shooting is a pretty basic skill and something this team sorely lacks. I don’t watch college ball, so I don’t know how truly horrific his shooting is, but if it’s as bad as I’ve heard…I can understand the hesitation. You can’t play make at this level if you’re that bad of a shooter — not without the perfect teammates to cover your weaknesses.
Guy you replied to is a bit reaching with that, but the list of 6'7ft+ PGs with 99th percentile athleticism and elite playmaking that I can remember is pretty low.
He didn't play in G-League either, but a new league called Overtime Elite where they pay the young athletes and also give them an education. It's growing fast, but the level of play is not as good as elite NCAA teams atm.
If the Rockets draft Amen we have to hope that Ben Sullivan is as good as advertised. Our new development coaches are supposed to be top tier. So I do have optimism that in a couple of years he can become a serviceable shooter. We can bring him along slowly off the bench until he's ready. I'm confident that Ime can get the most out of him defensively. He should become a monster defender at his position. I'm thinking a better version of pre injury Lonzo. I've made peace with whoever they choose. Amen included. I'm probably more excited to see a more stable brand of basketball, defense and accountability.
He is quite unique and the second most unique in the draft (the single most unique prospect in history is in this draft). Not sure about all time and how he'd fare in "uniqueness" vs Chet Holmgren, Dwight Howard, AD, and others....but a 6-7 hyper athletic speed demon that can nail full court and cross court passes that projects as a plus defender....I don't even understand how the KPj dudes aren't jumping for joy at this. Amen could theoretically run the point on offense and have KPj revert to his natural position as a catch and shoot/slasher and on defense KPj can also thrive by being a Smart-like defensive ball hawk vs the other teams PG while Amen can guard the 3 because of how tall he is. This is where I don't believe trading up for Scoot is worth it IMO. Defensively Scoot doesn't really work on this team. Scoot/Green/Tari/Bari/Sengun is a rough lineup defensively. Trade out Scoot for Amen and you can make the lineup work with either Tari or KPj. Amen is almost tailor made for this team. Minus the shooting. But if he could shoot he'd be unanimously the #2 prospect and we'd probably be getting Brandon Miller.
Huh? The Amen body type of big bodied pg who can't shoot used to be rare but isn't that rare nowadays. Cade Cunningham, Scottie Barnes, Dyson Daniel's, josh Giddey hell this draft even has his own twin and Anthony Black. The only thing that makes Amen unique is his shot looks as bad as Michael Kidd Gilchrist.
why should we care what KOC or Danny Chau think though? My guess is neither are amazing draft analysts... though certainly KOC's crazy Killian Hayes stance biases my opinion...
Yeah. He isn't Victor Wembanyama or Zion Williamson or LeBron James or Magic Johnson when it comes to all time unique players. However, from a physical profile and athletic standpoint he is pretty damn rare. There are not many players that are true point guards that are 6'7", have a 7'0" wingspan, with a vertical that is genuinely in the 40's, that are fluid in their movements, have loose hips, are both fast and quick, can stop on a dime and accelerate from a complete stop and have strong hand eye coordination. That is a very rare package - guys like Derrick Rose, John Wall, Kevin Johnson, Russell Westbrook and Steve Francis/Morant had some combo of these skills, but none of them had the size or frame that Amen Thompson has. For Amen it really all comes down to whether or not he can shoot well enough to stay on the court. There are no effort or off the court issues - he is considered to have a high basketball IQ and is savvy.
None of those players you listed are near the athlete that Amen Thompson is - it is the size, position and athleticism that makes Amen Thompson fairly unique.
"I don't even understand how the KPj dudes aren't jumping for joy at this. Amen could theoretically run the point on offense and have KPj revert to his natural position as a catch and shoot/slasher..." This is one of the only things I do like about the potential for this pick. I still think history will ultimately show that taking him at 4 was a massive reach and a big mistake, but if they keep KPJ it could be good for him.
Because there aren't KPJ fans. Would the move potentially help KPJ, sure, but it would also set up the worst backcourt in the league harming the team.....and the harm to the team is what matters. When your SG is an average 3 point shooter for a center and your PG is a below average 3 point shooter for a fan, your team is in trouble. The fact that it'll help KPJ pad his stats doesn't make that any better.
