NBA: Amen Thompson SHOWED IT ALL vs Suns! 28 PTS 10-16 FG 7 REB 8 AST 1 BLK +25!

Head Honcho...

 

Great game by Amen. He really pushes his body to the limit and leaves everything on the line. I just hope that his playing style is sustainable.

 

Best pg in the nba

 

His handles were great tonight and he’s clearly improving on-ball. Made great decisions all night. I especially liked that he was playing down hill and pressuring the rim. most of the game. Defensively he was excellent. Just a great all around game from Amen.

 

Amen!

 

This is the kind of Amen that deserves a max.

 

Max player if he plays the same way against contenders.

 

Get rid of that terrorist double big lineup. That ruins the spacing and amens ability to drive to the rim.

 

Amen’s highlights should only be shown with the Amen tv show theme song playing in the background.



Don’t tell me that isn’t a banger.

 

Some Lebron **** for real. Mr 27/7/7. His fit with Sengun is slick too.

 

Main point he makes, that I think is a good one: Amen can beat everyone off the dribble, which doesn't guarantee a bucket when there's help defense, but if he can consistently hit that little short-midrange jump shot inside the FT line it doesn't matter because that's basically "unguardable". If he can develop that skill enough in combination with his playmaking abilities, it may be enough to become an elite offensive player.

 

This!

I've seen a lot of criticism for Amen when in reality Ime has put him in a position it's very hard to succeed in.
Not only did he have to play PG but he was also on the Floor with 2 other non spacers in Adams and Sengun.

I think Reed and Okogie in the starting line-up are what unlocked Amen against PHX. He needs the space to operate and if he gets it, he is elite.

 

I think Amen changed his mindset because KD was out and he felt empowered/compelled/required to take more of the scoring burden for them to win.

After KD and Alpi score their combined 45-50 points per game, different people here want their favorite player to be third in line and average 20. But Reed, Jabari and Amen can't all average 20. There must be sacrifice. Amen does not have a "gotta get mine" mentality. He is sacrificing personal growth for the sake of the team.

Eventually later in the season, someone may emerge as the clear #3. When that happens, I won't be surprised if more people on CF are angry than happy because it wasn't their guy.

 

Thompson is the safest bet out of those 3 names, Bari and Reed are not consistent enough but eventually it might be Reed offensively.

He is still a sophomore.

 

Ime NOT focused on making Amen successful.

Ime IS focused on winning games.

Win games because Player ____ is successful = best outcome. Nuanced difference but massively impactful difference.

Amen's responsibility is learning how to win games by being his best self. Someone who doesn't take that approach? Cam Whitmore.

 

wrt starting line-up … Are you saying Reed provides more spacing than Durant? (noting Adams has only started 4 games).

It can still be true that Amen excels with Reed and Okogie (or Reed and Tari/DFS), but it’s not due to spacing over Durant. It would be more about Durant demanding ISO so much, maybe not allowing Amen to get into a groove … ofc, we aren’t talking about benching Durant, but rather just what helps Amen, in general. Does Durant help Amen get going…or does Durant only think about getting himself going?

… and fwiw, it’s not inconceivable that KD eventually gets moved to the bench in future years.