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

If he can develop a consistent and respectable shot, he's got a chance to be everything everyone thought Ben Simmons could be but better. This young man has a high IQ for his age. I'd like to see him as a primary ball handler with KPJ and Green on the wings.

 

Agreed, and that includes wanting In-N-Out instead of saying Whataburger.

Yes, I went there.

 

agreed. great head on his shoulders. I'm more confident now his shooting will be greatly improved

 

Tatum grew to 6'10 according to Brad Stevens a few seasons ago. He looks it on court.
LeBron is 6'9 which means he somehow grew an inch in his 30s or all the 6'8 players of the past that were the same height as lebron like T-Mac were actually 6'9 also.


If Amen has the same growth spurt he's a 6'9 point forward

 

Very impressed by those Thompson twins and their ascendency. They have a reputation for rampant athleticism but they got as far as they did through discipline and hard work not just natural ability. That bodes well for us and the Pistons!

 

What bothers me is that they spent two years in that bush league. Something doesn't seem right. Supposedly they are these bbl obsessed hard working kids, who strive for greatness, but they CHOSE to spend valuable development time in their formative years playing trash-level??

Here's what I suspect: they, their families, their agents planned for maximizing draft position by sheltering them from real competition and comparison. I remember when Yi Jianliang declared and nobody knew much about him, his agent didnt allow 1:1 workouts. He worked out his moves against a chair!
I think these kids pulled out something similar. Everything comes easier against low-level competition, your passes, your speed, your athletic ability shines. Good for them, it worked, they got drafted pretty high.

From here, however, as far as the Rockets are concerned we don't know what we will be getting from this kid. Time will show, but I don't have high hopes, at least not for next season. I think he struggles.

 

Careful now.

 

Not high on him but if which is a big if, he fixes his shot then he's that guy on this team. If he can't he'll always be meh.

 

Says the right things, very easy to root for, loves and knows his basketball … which makes me even more concerned he can’t shoot. He 100% knows it’s a problem so what on earth is up? He won’t be able to get away with it in the NBA. Hope he can figure it out and even just become a Rondo level shooter.

 

Just comes more easily for some guys than others, plus it takes awhile to change deeply ingrained muscle memory once you've established bad habits in the first place.

I'm not sure what caliber of shooting coaches they had to work with in OTE the past couple years. They started a process of rebuilding their shots with Mike Miller a year ago but it takes time to start over from scratch and get everything right, and even once you do, old habits die hard in high-pressure situations.

 

He needs to get from 26% to 30%. Entirely doable. And remember he is already adjusted to the pro distance.

1. Consistency in form and motion.
2. Dont take dumb shots.
3. Know your spots where you are a bit more efficient.

It isnt going to be easy to sag off him. You could sag off of Westbrook because he would take stupid shots and was not a high percentage shooter.

you could sag off of Simmons because he really didn’t have the speed getting to the rim or just closing the gap between him and the sagging defender.

Sagging off of Thompson will help a defense but they will also half to have their help defenders either playing safety in the lane or coming over as soon as he penetrates. He will make those passes easy.

We need Green and Smith shooting like KPJ.

Again I think the floor with Amen is pretty decent. Excited to have him. I personally had some questions about the back court, pairing of Henderson, Porter and Green. Not enough size.

 

Kid might be Penny if his shot becomes decent

 

he sounds like a smart player, who thinks like an actual pg which is quite refreshing.

It can b the right pick if it shows on the court. His inability to shoot is worrying though

 

He's not a young socialite. That's for sure.

 

Where's the down vote button?

 

I believe Amen needs to play 20 to 25 minutes a game this year. I think we should have a PG/SG rotation of FVV, Jalen and Amen. Christopher can play some minutes as well but we need Amen to get minutes but start on the bench. I would trade or cut KPJ because we all know he is going to act up. I would rather have Amen and Cam to play more minutes than KPJ and we need to find a starting SF such as Cam Johnson or Harrison Barnes.
I do not want Dillion Brooks at all! Cam Whitmore is going to need a professional role model and Dillion is not it. Cam Whitmore s a 20 point scorer and have all Star written all over him

 

we boycotting Whataburger sadly. it's only trillburger now.

 

Dark days for maj21 and verbal Christ

 

this dude is smart and quick with the wit. that is almost harder than the hoopin.