Exclusive All things Amen Thompson

Anybody see similarities with Shaun Livingston?

Both had great athleticism, good defense, SF height, PG passing, poor shooting.

Livingston was the 4th pick, but a few years younger. Had a good career, overcame major injuries.

Very good role player, but probably not the upside we're hoping for from #3. The Pippen dreams just don't seem likely.

 

No not really.
Amen is already 215 lbs and Shaun never got above 200
Hard to compare them because of that horrific injury. Before the injury, Shaun was looking much more than a very good
role player. That injury took away his athleticism.

I will be honest I was not aware, or forgot, that he was that big. With that athleticism, size, and ball handling, I could easily be convinced to take him at#3. I was thinking he was 200 lbs

 

Don't forget -- he's arguably one of the 3 best athletes in the NBA from DAY ONE.

Everyone talks about Scoot's athleticism, but this guy makes Scoot look like Zach Randolph.

 

Even less likely than a small point guarding leading you to a chip, is a tall, pass-first point guard who can't shoot.

Trust in Schmidt.

 

What is Schnitz's draft board like? I seriously am curious

 

Shaun Livingston before his injury.

 

Is it just me or does any video from +10 years ago look like it was from the 1980’s?

 

The idea(or hope, which I have my doubts about) is that if he becomes even a mediocre 3PT shooter he could be Lebron-esque (which I highly doubt). The worst case (with an improved shot, which once again, I doubt) is probably Scottie Pippen. If also seen some Penny Hardaway comps that could be interesting.

And personally, I wouldn't play him in the point guard position as I don't think he has a good enough 'handle' to be your primary facilitator.

As I said before, I think all these guys have huge flaws... and frankly, I wouldn't build a team around any of these guys except for Wemby. And I don't see a bunch of people dick-riding Amen saying "Build a team around him!"

It reminds me of how Memphis drafted JJJr over Trae Young. That's what this draft is for me.

 

You’re probably right about Amen not being a PG right away. Ausar actually looks like he has the better handle, while Amen is still too fast for his handle sometimes. But with his mind to process the game, there’s no reason to believe he can never become a starting PG one day.

 

To me, taking Thompson is even more of a project than Scoot. A harder sell to Dame than Miller or Scoot.

 

I don’t think Scoot will be much of a project at all. He may have flaws like all rookies do, but he could easily average 17ppg+ if he was drafted to his own team imo.

 

I would be Hella curious to see how Dame and Amen worked as a backcourt. I've always thought a team built around Dame needed to be focused on defense. If we drafted Amen and traded Ant for someone that plays defense ( in my dreams to Orlando for the 6th pick so we can pick Ausar) you would have Dame as our only weak defensive player. The half court offense would be awful due to the lack of spacing, but if they could get out and run a bit, boy golly. I'm imagining Amen (or Shaedon or Ausar) getting a stop and Nurk getting the rebound and throwing it up the court and them driving and Dame's trailing the play and they pass it out and Dame hits a wide open 3 and even if he misses, there's a chance one of our super athletic wings gets the offensive rebound for the putback.

 

Yup, the “competition” argument will continue to be the death of many GM jobs.

I honestly think it’s easier to spot Amen’s potential than it was with Giannis. High school me was watching Giannis predraft tape thinking who the f is this guy’s competition.

 

Some of Amen's steals from his highlight tapes remind me of a predator striking it's prey. A snake snatching a mouse nibbling on a triscuit in the bat of an eye. The force on display isn't characteristic of human animation.

 

People talk about Amen's loose handle (which it is I suppose) but on the defensive end, if you have a loose handle or make an imprecise pass, Amen is likely to strike.

(video cued up to defensive highlights)

 

So what I don’t understand is why his defense wouldn’t also look really good because he’s playing against a bunch of kids.

 

True. But that has nothing to do with how quick his hands are, or how quickly he can sneak into a passing lane.