Totally agree on this. My Nephew just started OTE. It's not a great showcase and the talent level varies greatly.
16 year old that shoots really well and has handles but he's another 5-11 kid with a bunch of dreams. If he can get to a junior college and maybe get some tuition covered it would be huge and he would stay off the streets. Growth spurt might get him to 6'-1". Right now he is transferring high schools to follow a coach which in my opinion is great because he will take another year serious. 16-18 are huge years for kids. If he even sniffs a girl he gets sidetracked. The high schools are fighting over him a bit. He will bring some wins. Kind of crappy the way one coach is acting? That coach happens to be on a couple boards and tried to take away his eligibility if he transferred. I see really no chance for him to go pro? Just too much competition but he could have a bunch of fun for the next 5-6 years and the experience and personal growth would be great for his life. It's fun to watch but it's way different now than it was when i grew up.
I see that the Blazers are interviewing them both at the combine, just doing "due diligence" I guess.
There’s only 450 NBA players in the entire world. Pretty easy to be considered a “Bust” I guess? Even more so when you figure only 30-40 of them are considered Impact players.
I hope it's just that. Amen profiles similar to Dyson Daniels and I know we were high on him last yr. I just hope they realize taking him at 3 is a massive overdraft
With Dame, everyone said "he's playing against a bunch of DII guys". With Sharpe, it was "he's playing against a bunch of high schoolers". At some point, you just have to assess a prospect's talent and attributes, not competition. I'm also assuming that when you say "inefficient numbers", you're talking about purely his 3pt shooting and free throw shooting because he shot 56% from the field. Here are the reasons why Amen is ranked so highly: height 6'5.75 (combine) weight 214lbs (combine) wingspan 7'0 (combine) vertical 44" (reported) Ability to make plays for others (like actually become be your starting PG, not just a guy who can bring the ball up the court and make the right pass) Athleticism to play lockdown defense I think you're going to be surprised with Amen if we draft him.
Exactly. I don't know if kids are just getting more talented or have better training programs but you don't have 40" verticals as a lottery pick.....and not do well. At the least, you're Andrew Wiggins or Harrison Barnes....but if you can pass, defend, handle the ball, rebound, make plays, attack the rim, and provide high IQ leadereship? You're drafting a floor general who inspires the team with their presence. The fact that the twins have 40" verticals and 7' wingspans? That's incredible. And it's different than other prospects because guys like Exum, OJ Mayo, Nick Young, or Gerald Green just didn't have other skills to fall back on. Therefore, their games fell apart due to them being incredibly one dimensional. Ignore competition for a second and use your brain and eyes here and measure the milliseconds and millimeters of space-time that you see in this footage and apply that to the spacing and speed of the NBA. Watch the passes, the body control while in motion, where Amen positions himself both on and off ball. I doubt he'll ever have great shooting numbers but I've felt he is a Giannis-lite or Grant Hill-lite....a Ben Simmons/Iguodala hybrid. That his brother is a 33% 3pt shooter means he has the same genetic potential to be passable from the outside, as well. Zach Edey is a unicorn, as well (so many of them in this draft!). Highest PER in modern NCAA history (since they started recording PER)...not once but TWICE in a row. At the least, he's a bigger and better Enes Kanter. Imo, due to his height and wingspan, you should take him with the hope that he may help slow Wemby down in limited spurts (a "Wemby Stopper", so to speak). he has good IQ, elite footwork, good size, and his efficiency is some of the best in college history. At best, it's possible he becomes the Jokic in this draft where he is a quality big man taken in the second round. If Jokic is in that Sabonis (rather, what a healthy Sabonis probably would've become) tier, for example, we can say Edey's absolutely perfect ceiling would be like Yao/Ewing tier. Personally, I'm not opposed to getting Maxey by trading Dame to the Sixers, drafting Amen, drafting Edey, and using Simons to acquire the Magic's #6 pick (Magic needing a 20ppg guard who can shoot and helping them get to the playoffs considering they were .500 for the latter portion of their season). Use the #6 on Walker - another unicorn. Use #23 on Lively (or James Nnaji, another project big man who looks like he could be a Clint Capella/Nic Claxton type player if developed). Maxey - Sharpe - Amen - Walker - Lively /// Keon - Little - Jabari - Edey That's a talented young core, honestly.
Two guys that D69 identified last year are really moving up. Hendricks is up to #4 in some scouts projections and Leonard Miller is said by some to go as high as #10. 6'9" and 6'10" with good wingspans. Hendricks is incredibly versatile defensively and Miller can play D while being very versatile offensively. Those are the types of players (along with B Miller) that this roster desperately needs.
3. Portland Trail Blazers - Amen Thompson, G, Overtime Elite City Reapers Twins Amen and Ausar Thompson feel like the biggest wildcards of the 2023 NBA Draft after they bypassed more traditional routes for the upstart Overtime Elite league — but passing on them in the top-five might be even riskier than taking them. We’ll give Amen the slight edge over his brother because of his playmaking potential as a lead guard. At 6’7 with a 7-foot wingspan, Thompson has the size of a wing and the skill of a guard, and will be one of the five most athletic players in the league next season. He has incredible speed in the open floor and a blazing first step to draw two defenders to the ball, and at times he’ll have some truly creative passing flashes. Thompson is also a remarkable leaper around the basket, but he still needs to improve as a finisher when he’s not dunking it. His intersection of size, speed, leaping, passing, and defensive versatility gives him sky-high upside, but he’s a rough outside shooter who will essentially be starting from scratch with his three-point shot. He’d be a gamble at No. 3, but he has more upside than any player left on the board
This is what I've been saying. Scoot or Amen imo. The size and athleticism seem next level for Amen. I think we need an Amen post.
