It's a way to go but just not what I would do. Spacing is very important for us. Much more important to me than rebounding. We'd literally be making it harder for everyone to score. We don't have good enough scorers to play like that. I really think he can still use even the G League next season (for some games) because we need this guy to get up 3pters and work heavily on his shot. With the rotation I'd be shocked if he gets more than 18-25 minutes per game with Brooks and Tari competing for minutes too. Not being able to shoot at all is a big deal.
This was cool and interesting to learn about Cam's background and what got him here. Thanks for sharing
I am very curious to if Amen Thompson can play Point Guard, can he develop his 3 point shot. Tyrese Halliburton is a excellent example, he worked on his 3 point shot, his form and improved tremendously being the 1st Option in the Trade Changed everything. Kings definitely regretted that trade. Should've traded Dearon Fox, who knew, Halliburton level would be a MVP Candidate while Fox is barely a All Star.
While I'd like to see him develop more on ball, I think he needs to be on the floor "somewhere" .... and in the mean time, he plays that role in the 5 spot very well. The more he plays, the more he's going to develop no matter where he's playing. What's holding him back from the PG spot is shooting .... and what position he plays isn't really going to affect that. Improvement there will come from fixing his form and hours on the practice court. Get him on the court when and where you can! I've made the same comparison. Playing him at the "dunkers spot", he's very similar - without the antics. Green has had a big impact on winning out of that spot and Amen was putting up some very impressive numbers in a similar role. If he never develops the outside shot, he can still make an impact as a 1-5 defender, rebounder and secondary facilitator. Draymond Green had only two seasons where he shot above league average - This past season .395 and 2015/16 .388. The two next best were .337 and .333 The seasons they won the championship he shot .337,.308,.301 & .296. I don't think it's unreasonable to expect Amen to shoot between .296 to .337. Those other players you mention don't have Amen's passing ability or defensive chops, that's what sets him & Green apart from the crowd in that role. IF he develops that outside shot, the sky's the limit.
Honestly then he's in for a tough season. Adams was brought in because he's big. Tari and Brooks are elite wing defenders with passable 3pt shots. It's going to be tough to come by minutes in the frontcourt. IMO we're overthinking it. He should be slowly taking over the PG spot. He's not as far as people make it seem especially when we play up tempo.
While doing some research on Reed Sheppard, I stumbled upon this: https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/leaders/men/bpm-player-season.html There are a lot of stats, but almost all these guys became useful NBA players. TBH, makes me wonder if we should try to grab another draft pick and just draft Zach Edey as our future backup center, for the heck of it. Size issues solved.
This along with his production and championship game is the reason I would take a flyer on Edey with a second pick, although he might be gone or a small trade-up. And yes you need to develop Eason like he's a top-four pick IMO, if he develops an offensive bag/playmaking he already does everything else and is a star. And I would be fine with Clingan too, to be honest as a safe pick if he's BPA.
What if every high motor 6'9" guy with little coordination and balance developed a "bag"? If he had the traits to be a primary offensive option he'd have those traits already. He's groomed to be a Corey Brewer type player and that's fine. That's grokking him to his abilities. Why aren't the pelicans grooming Herb Jones to be a primary offensive guy?
No one said he had to be the primary offensive guy, it's about developing an all-around skillset. He's young and others have developed, you can have a glass half empty view that's fine. An example is Shawn Marion who became a Swiss army knife all star from a role player, not saying he will be but Kawhi was a mid-first-round role player until he developed. Eason has been consistently been one of our highest-impact players in his time here, players can get better over time, and developing a bag has happened for many players over the years. It may happen and may not, but his impact on the game is there, and focusing on his development will just increase that impact.
Limited minutes and playing opposing benches can inflate on/off impact. I think Tari can be an important part of a 9 man championship level rotation but he just doesn't show any signs of improving q bag in any amount that would make him anymore than a higher level Corey Brewer level offensive piece... A great 3 and D dude.
