When I look over lists of the greatest NBA players of all time, most of them were either 7-footers (or nearly 7 feet tall), elite athletes, or both. Can we group positional size, length, and athleticism all into a category called "physical tools"? I think physical tools are extremely important if you want to be a championship-caliber superstar. It's possible to become great while having NBA-average physical tools, but it almost never happens. Even guys like Jokic, who gets criticized for not having an "NBA body"--that dude is a near-7-footer with a ridiculous standing reach, and he's incredibly strong and takes up tons of space on the court. Obviously, physical tools alone are not enough, and skills are extremely important as well. But I do view having at least one elite physical attribute as being almost a prerequisite to become a championship-caliber superstar. MJ was extremely skilled, but would he have reached anywhere near the same heights if he wasn't one of the best athletes the game has ever seen? Ditto for LeBron. Would Hakeem still have won back-to-back titles if he didn't have a 7'6" wingspan and extremely fluid, twitchy, strong athleticism for his size? There are a few outliers like Stephen Curry who do it almost entirely with skill, but they're exceedingly rare.
This is a slam dunk pick. This is not faux athleticism ie. a guy who can just jump high but really isn't all that fast ie. James White, Gerald Green etc. He is lightning quick, jumps out of the gym, and has the height and decision making to make things happen in the lane. If he can't shoot, fair enough. He can still provide value on the court. Worst case scenario is like a 32 year old, taller bit thinner, version of Westbrook. Except without the low BBIQ and obnoxious attitude. Ideal scenario, but not totally unrealistic, is a perennial all-star future HoFer.
Umm…there was a time Jordan was the most athletic in the league. He wouldn’t be that way today, but I’m his era, he was certainly that dude….same for some guy named Lebron. Amen isn’t either of those guys, but having an athleticism advantage over most of your peers is certainly the start of a recipe for greatness - but like everyone else, I worry about the rest. Does he have the Bball IQ, and skill? I don’t know.
He is, however, listed at 6'11" (realistically I think he measures up similar to most guys listed at 7'0" over league history), and has a 9'3" standing reach, and those are elite physical gifts in their own right.
I think most people would agree, that Amen has a pretty big bust potential. But what he possesses is something, that you can't teach. Size, wingspan and elite athleticism for a PG. He also is a great passer and at least a decent defender (with the potential to be a great one). So the question is: can he get by never developing a real jump shot or can he develope into at least an average shooter. But I would add, that there are more question marks surrounding him. How is his bball IQ? Playin in OTE is a mess. Is his handle good enough to get to the basket with his athleticism. Why isn't he a better shooter? As someone so focused on the NBA shouldn't it have been a priority for him to fix it (at least Ausar got in the right direction). And why isn't he a better defender? With his athleticism and the opposition, he should have been a pest. Does he have the feel for the game and the motivation to work in his weaknesses? All that being said: I would take him at 4. But if I had a chance to get Scoot for our pick and some minor add ons, I would jump on that opportunity. Or if we could trade back, say with Orlando, I would also be very tempted.
I think the hyperbole around Amen if its coming out of Houston is to keep his stock momentum moving forward in case a team out there is willing to deal and the Rockets would hold the leverage in negotiations. I dont see "best athlete ever" type stuff from this kid. There is a "best athlete ever" player in every draft it seems. Amen is like Flash with the ball though. He will be a factor in transition for sure and if he decides to play defense could help a team while he works on his shot. Upside is clearly there, but it all depends on how much each individual team and coach weighs shooting into their philosophy and whether or not this kid will be able to contribute outside of passing and if that court vision even translates to the NBA. Amen is one of the bigger bust candidates in this draft.
Great passer is relative......while passing translates but in a league with tons of good passers he might just be knocked down a couple notches. He played in a vastly inferior league. We had that with Jabari, he was advertised as a great college shooter, while he can still be a good shooter, college shooting is very different.
I don't think I agree - at least with Jabari. Shooting is shooting. Why did Jabari struggle? Maybe nerves, maybe he was trying to tweak his technique to get the ball out of his hands faster, maybe he was struggling with the NBA conditioning. But he has a great form and in the NBA most threes you want to shoot are the ones that are open. There shouldnt be a big difference other than the extra distance, but Jabari was hitting at a high rate from way beyond the line as well. Being a great passer in OTE doesn't mean he will be a great passer in the NBA. But the chances of that are pretty good. At least he is always looking for the open man, is able to find them even outside his fov and has a great technique to get the ball to the right spot. So even if he is only just a "good" passer in the NBA, this will most probably be one of his strengths and assets.
We are, in that we have a lot of high quality, young talent on board already. We have picks/ammo, and flexibiility with capspace. Along with a very good coach. There are many directions the Rockets can take this. We aren't desperate by any stretch of the imagination. (not an extremely sensitive timeline either)
The biggest difference and obstacle that rookies coming into the NBA are faced with is the level of defense that is played. Its a culture shock and some never recover from it.
There are 3 players in this draft with superstar upside and thankfully the Rockets are likely to get one of them.
I think the biggest misunderstanding and downplaying of the Thompson twins as prospects comes from a misunderstanding of the relative strength of OTE vs other competitions. OTE is not the G League or the SEC, true. But the actual OTE teams, in terms of talent, ability, and on court performances, are somewhere between low major and mid major college programs. Less disciplined, systematic, and mature, but more raw talent and size, since every player on the court is a 17-19 year old 4 or 5 star recruit. Do people not know that in a game between 5 of the ~100 best 17- 19 year olds in the country (OTE), and 5 of the ~1,000 - 2,000 best 19-22 year olds… the 17-19 year olds (low major college basketball) are going to win by a lot? If you put Amen’s OTE team in the OVC where Ja Morant played, they would win that conference. Did Ja’s athleticism and passing not translate?
Ja also played great against programs like Alabama, Auburn, Marquette, and Florida St ... there was enough tape vs pro level players to help provide valuable data to the pick. I highly doubt a random OTE team would win that conference let alone any other D1 or D2 conference. Maybe a team of OTE all stars MAYBE. OTE is highly undisciplined akin to more AAU than anything structured or organized. Players in OTE are getting by on athleticism and individual accomplishment. I think Amen will struggle for a little while in the NBA. He will have his moments in the open court. I can only pray he decides to be a good defender because that is hit or miss also because passing and defense will be how he can impact games until his shot comes along (if ever).
There's an insane level of difference between shooting in an environment with less physical defenders (hs, college) and the NBA/Europe vs grown men with their bodies filled out, you can see a ton of all-time great college scorers who couldn't get their shot off right in the NBA. You can also see it when watching workouts or pre-game videos of NBA players, guys like Rondo or Dwight could nail 3s and then shoot horribly once facing proper defenders that contest their shot (and under in-game pressure, not just a scrimmage).
And Amen played well against Aidelaide, Mega, Girona, Cornella… pro teams that would smoke Alabama or Marquette. There are no “random OTE” teams. There are really only 3 real OTE teams with scholarship athletes - those are the games people look at for scouting purposes, along with the games against pro teams. Those 3 OTE teams are 17-19 year old all star teams of 4 and 5 star recruits. If you don’t realize that five random 18yo top 100 recruits is going to crush Tennessee Tech or Southern Indiana or SE Missouri State, I don’t know what to tell you.
Maybe I am underestimating this, but: 3s are open for the most part. And he couldn't hit them. And he has an insanely high release point, so even contested shots arent that contested. But again, maybe I am underestimating the feeling of a Giannis running towards you.
