Some stars lock in like this because they want to score a bunch of points. Amen does because he's going to guard a couple of GOATs. That's why he's my GOAT.
I got chills listening that in real time. We truly got blessed with Amen. Can't wait to see him take over the league.
Hottest take ever Amen Thompson (if the NBA was smart) is capable of being the next face of the NBA I'm dead serious. He's the most fun athlete in the league to watch
He definitely has some things going for him in this regard. Unique player without a true 1-to-1 comp, fun to watch, freak athlete, amazing highlights, interesting background with his twin, etc.
Maybe, but I think there are some major differences between the two. I'd be stunned if Amen ever averaged 26+ ppg while shooting .38+ from 3 on 5+ 3pa per game. Conversely, the last 20 games or so, Amen has basically been averaging 9 boards and 5 assists per game - Kawhi has never averaged more than 7 rebounds a game and has only averaged 5+ assists once in his career (his career assist average is 3). Amen has also averaged 1.5 blocks per game over the last 20 games, whereas Kawhi's career high bpg is 1. In his prime, Kawhi was a beast covering 1 - 3, whereas Amen is a true 1 - 5 defender. I've said it before, but I could see Amen developing into our franchise player without being our lead scorer, averaging lines like 20/10/7 with a ton of stocks with DPOY-level defense.
I continue to believe that Amen is a point forward, but one thing I’m curious if others agree with is the need for Houston to play more uptempo. Our guys are young, athletic and fast and I think we need a point guard who pushes the pace. Unfortunately Fred slows the pace; that’s the way he plays. We should be exploiting our advantage by playing fast. I don’t see Amen’s best usage as a point guard that pushes the pace, and I don’t want to give up any of the young core to go star chasing, but the one upgrade we really need to make this summer is replacing Fred with a point guard that can run with our young stallions. I’m praying Reed comes back ready to play next season, and Amen can certainly play some minutes at the point, but I think we need a guard that can push the tempo and shoot.
As an aside, the last 20 games, Amen has averaged 1.5 steals per game and 1.5 blocks per game. You know what other players are averaging 1.5 steals and 1.5 blocks per game this season? None. No other player is averaging that. The closest are Shai (1.7 steals, 1 block), Scottie Barnes (1.5 steals, 1 block) and JJJ (1.2 steals, 1.6 blocks).
Amen is literally a different class of athlete compared to other NBA players. It's like young LeBron, but I always said "it's crazy what he can do at the size he does it at." Amen is "how does he do that at the speed he does it?"
i agree. Even if we can get someone like dennis schroder on the cheap, i'd be cool with that. if fred wants too much i think he'll be traded. We can just roll with our youngsters.
With Sengun and Amen as a point-forward, do we really need a "traditional" PG? I feel like Green brings it up much of the time anyway.
that’s a good point. As long as we have someone that can push the pace and not turn it over. To me it’s about taking care of the ball. Unfortunately Jalen and Amen don’t do that well right now. Fred does, but he doesn’t push the pace. We need someone that can do both I think.
I'm done with Fred I think Jabari needs to start in his place. It provides better shooting and rebounding. Fred is afraid of the moment I don't trust him. He literally dropped the ball and missed 2 free throws right before half after all the trash talking and fighting. The young guys are fearless and I love it. Fred on the other hand is not. We literally coulda blown them out right there but Fred was doing his best to keep them in it. As soon as he misses 3 or 4 shots he should just go to the bench.
On pace, there just is not much correlation in pace and good offenses. Sure, the Rockets should be opportunistic on fast breaks. When they aren't there, it is good for the Rockets to get into sets, take care of the ball, and have their offensive rebounders ready to crash the basket. I don't think the Rockets have the shooting (or an offensive engine that thrives in a quick halfcourt pace) to run a quick pace in the halfcourt, and that drowns out the transition pace.
One thing I really like about Reed in the future (once he can be an average defender, hopefully) is his ability to push the ball up the court with great outlet passes. In addition to the obvious spacing and shooting, that's a skill that fits REALLY well with our young athletic team, and then in the half court we can run the offense through Jalen and Alpi.
