[2023 NBA Draft/1-4] Amen Thompson, G, Overtime Elite

Amen Thompson said it's up to the #Rockets staff whether or not he plays Sunday.

"I know I'm gonna be good, but it's really up to the staff."

 

You're preaching to the choir, check my posts when we got the fourth pick and people were melting down about getting Amen. I was a fan after seeing his film after the lottery and was glad to get him.

I try not to be a prisoner of the moment good or bad, but yes I agree, I'm very happy and pleased as well with how his future is looking.

 

He looked good. I've been a doubter, but his basketball iq looks good. I thought he played under control and had very good court vision on top of all the other stuff we already knew about him. Very pleasantly surprised.

 

I was skeptical of his vision and passing considering the level of competition at OTE.

Consider me silenced, man's a 3 pointer away from being a legit superstar.

EDIT: I also thought the "best athlete we've seen" was massive hyperbole considering Jalen Green is on the roster, I was wrong there too, I've never seen a guy that big with that insane of a first step.

 

Man I love his passing and vision. He's a lot better than I thought. Maybe we got something with this kid. And he hit his only 3.

 

I know I'm going to get slammed for this--but I don't care.

There were 2 or 3 defensive possessions where I thought to myself, "Damn, he moves a little like Jordan."

One that stood out was when he went for a steal and missed but stopped on a dime and got back in the play. He missed on that one, but if this game is any indication, Amen is going to lead the NBA in steals at some point.

Potential: This kid has it.

 

moves like Jordan … I had a similar thought. He looks like a predator out there defensively. Very few players move with that kind of athleticism, length, will and awareness.

 

After watching a ton of OTE game highlights, I always thought his athleticism was best expressed on his layups. lol. His layups can be insane. Even a couple of them in this game were nutty. Like he drives right, twists left, and shoots it off-balance with his left hand or Tim Duncans it off the glass.

Also liked how he basically uses his athleticism efficiently and as-needed. It has a purpose. He's not trying to dunk everything and annihilate the rim when it's not necessary. The dude is just athletically smooth.

 

I've been thinking about the MJ comparison (size, length, athleticism, big hands) for awhile but I've refused to actually put it out there in so many words because it's been said about a lot of dudes and usually ends up wrong His approach to the game is pretty different anyway--he looks to pass first, MJ was all about the scoring and loved the midrange.

I'll just be thrilled if he turns out to be something close to Penny Hardaway's peak (adjusted for today's high-scoring environment). That would be a great outcome for us.

 

Amen Thompson is no MJ. He is a taller Ja Morant or taller John Wall and a shorter Ben Simmons on defense

 

Amen, Sengun and Jalen is our three young STARS on our team, if you add Jabari and Tari we have OUR OWN SUPERTEAM in two years

 

Amen, Sengun and Jalen is our three young STARS on our team, if you add Jabari and Tari we have OUR OWN SUPERTEAM

 

Some of y'all really wanted Cam Whitmore over Amen at 4. Nasty behavior....

 

That play was such an eye opener. He gambles hard on the steal, almost got it to where he flustered the ball handler, he gambles so hard he slips on the floor but recovers quickly right into a screen, then is so fast & athletic he goes UNDER the screen and still has time to contest the shot so well that the guy air balls.

 

I was thinking the same. His ability to dial it in from a standstill is also fun. I wasalso thinking it’ll help minimize injuries…. Oops.

 

Play it at the 4:00 mark

 

It's a small sample and I'm not going to fall into the eternal problem of jumping to early conclusions, but this guy has the most potential in the entire Draft after Wembanyama.
It is not usual to see a guy with this predisposition and this defensive talent. If the Rockets' staff does a good job Houston may have gotten the steal of this draft.