We got the #3 pick. Discuss the possibilities.

I really dig this. I think they gotta use the pick because of what the contract means for us.

 

Practically everyone I hear has questions about his athleticism and ability to finish. They question his upside. This is the majority. I think he'll be good for sure. Not sure I know how good.

 

I think his floor is a better shooting but less athletic Robert Horry. The question is his ceiling. I agree with you

 

If you look at Lebron James as a rookie, he shot 43.8% on 2-pointers and 29% on 3-pointers. Amen's first season and highlights might look like Lebron's as a rookie.
Amen is always a threat to attack the hoop with his quickness and athleticism, and can make excellent passes from his drives.
He should also be able to help on defense with the same tools.

At 1:26 when the announcer says "I don't know how you describe that (pass)," contorting like that while passing is something of a trademark of Amen.

 

A 6’7 Ja Morant is my “ceiling”

 

Wagner would certainly help both timelines. Only going into year 3 but is good enough to help us compete. I would do this if one of the Thompsons are available, which is almost a sure thing.

Dame/Simons/Wagner/Grant/Nurk

That’s a pretty good starting 5, all things considered. Wagner + one of the twins > Mikal or OG to me. Your starting wings of the future would be all set up too with Sharpe and Ausar, and I feel like Wagner is good enough of a playmaker that he can initiate an offense in spurts.

But I’m not all that interested in Ayton. I’d be completely fine with trading for Ayton at a cheaper price tag. But at this point, he’s just a good, but not AS level player, on an AS salary. He’s 25, I’m not sure how much potential you can still squeeze out. We already have to pay a guy like that this summer already, having two combined with Dame’s salary is a nightmarish scenario.

Between Sharpe/Wagner/Ausar (or another wing at #6), there’s enough young guys that have ‘star potential’ to be on. In the end, too many guys who have then are going to become an ego-filled environment. That’s a character issue, and Ayton already concerns me in that area. Look for guys that fit the team vision and play-style instead. If Lively is it, find a way to acquire him by the end of the night. Then bring in the best backup C an MLE can buy.

Dame/Ant/Mays/Franz
Ant/Sharpe/Thybulle/Ausar
Franz/Ausar/Sharpe/Thybulle/Nas
Grant/Franz/Watford/Nas
Nurk/MLE/Lively/Watford

I’d rather bank on Lively’s potential at being a high level defensive anchor and a solid backup C to help Nurk hold the C rotation down. Maybe Badji gets another 2-way deal. That also saves us from trading another 1st. Ayton isn’t worth more than one 1st in the 20s, and at $30+m/year, I’d rather just not have him. 1sts should be used to attach to Nurk/Ant/Nas to find an upgrade in the case that Sharpe and/or Ausar show they need more minutes.

 

How much better do you think Amen is than Ausar? If the possibility was out there, would you rather have Ausar and Franz or just Amen?

In theory, Ausar has all the ability Amen has minus the flashy playmaking. Ausar’s looks like he has a tigher handle right now, but for sure can play off the ball and has a smoother stroke. Defensively, he can still be elite on and off ball. Franz playmaking is fairly good at a lower volume than Amen and you have the right to offer him an extension this summer or just wait till FA in 2025.

 

they certainly interview well

 

I've watched nothing of the twins, have just looked at stats. Am curious why Amen is considered the more PG of the 2, Ausar the wing, and Ausar averaged(just slightly) more assists?
Everything about them is intriguing and, at the same time, horrifying, considering their age, the league they played in, and their MKG-esque shooting

 

lebron also had otherworldy athleticism and was stronger than 99% of the players at his position on day 1 in the NBA.

Are you saying the ceiling for Amen is LeBron James? This is based on his game film against 16-18 yr olds while he shot like shit from pretty much everywhere outside of 3 feet?

 

he was the primary ball handler and initiated offense more. he seemed to be better at initiating plays on the fast break.

i've been reading more and more about these dudes and am convinced we need to look away. That OTE shit is like AAU without structure (and you know how ridiculous the AAU is).

 

damn those shooting forms do not make me excited. You think about someone like Jerami Grant who would catch a pass near his head, and have a quick flick from above his head. And their 3 point shots look like mine when I was too weak to shoot, where I had to come from all the way under my chin and push it up there. Ugh

 

So you are effectively replacing Hart with Wagner and adding no veteran depth to the bench. This is enough to make us "compete" vs the shitshow we saw from OCT-FEB?

Returning to the court this October with a Dame/Ant backcourt AND Nurk still as a primary C without a two-way point of attack defender added to the lineup would be a disastrous offseason for me.

 

Ausar is described as a functional shooter. Not good or great, but better than Amen. Ausar is more consistent on defense. So Ausar is likely to contribute more off-the-ball than Amen.
One person said the difference in athleticism is apparent, Amen is better than Ausar. As in generational athleticism. But Ausar has good athleticism too, and good passing ability.

 

I see the upside...I also see Isaac Okoro comps flying through my head.

 

Oh man, this is a fun question.

Defensively, I think he be one of the best on ball defenders in the league. I don’t know who to actually compare him to, but maybe like a taller Marcus Smart. He has 3 more inches on his height and wingspan, and is a lot more athletic. I also wanted to say Kawhi, but Kawhi’s wingspan is a whole 3 inches longer than Ausar (crazy) and a lot of defensive ability is going to be genetics if everyone maxed out their potential. So taller Marcus Smart, Kawhi with a shorter wingspan, or anywhere in between on defense. I’m only using guys I’ve seen btw.

Offensively, he can be as good on the fast break as anyone we’ve ever seen. He’ll be better than Russ because he’s bigger and stronger, but he won’t be Lebron because Lebron in his prime was 270+lbs of muscle. If Amen is drafted here, my hope is that he isn’t relied on as much as Lebron has been throughout his career, but he has the Lamelo kind of passing gift. I think he averages as many apg as Lebron does when he reaches his prime.

The obvious glaring hole is his shooting. And because of that, it’s hard to project any more than that. So until we see more from him to say otherwise, his ceiling is a 6’7 (in shoes), 240lb (what I project his prime weight to be at), 7’0 wingspan with Russ’ athleticism and play style (minus the ego issues) combined with Lamelo’s playmaking and with 1st team all defense credentials.

If he shows signs of a shot, we can start thinking of adding more to his ceiling. If Dame is here for at least two more years, do we start seeing a guy who is Russ-level in the fast break but also can shoot 3’s at a 35%+ clip? Who knows. I am fairly certain that Amen loves basketball though and is dedicated to getting better. Dame loves those guys.

If you want to get hyperbolic with it, the potential of Amen and Sharpe would be like having prime Lebron and prime Kobe on the same team.

 

I see Dyson Daniels and MCW. Both had a stronger body of work before entering the league.

 

Love these dudes. Would take both if possible

 

thanks for the thoughtful response. i will respectfully disagree.

 

The dunc’ed on crew said that they thought with work, amen’s shooting ceiling could possibly be where Aaron Gordon or Scottie Barnes are right now.

thought that sounded about right.