Exclusive All things Amen Thompson

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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.
 
SharpesTriumph said:
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.
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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
 
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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.
 
Predator said:
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.
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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.
 
Pinwheel1 said:
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
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Shaun Livingston before his injury.

 
AmirIcon said:
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.
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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.
 
Predator said:
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.
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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.

 
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.
 
damianlillard said:
If you’re gonna use amen’s competition as one of the reasons to not draft him, you should know better than that. Dame played at Weber state. Simons played at IMG. Sharpe basically came straight out of high school. They all turned out pretty dang good. Also if you’re still concern about the competition, amen played against pros in Europe and New Zealand I believe. He can look it up on YouTube. He did very well against them
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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.
 
Paine Tablet said:
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.
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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)
 
Amen is a good dunker and... well, he's a good dunker.

I don't see the big deal given he can't shoot and doesn't have a great handle.
 
blazerfan11 said:
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)
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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.
 
Natebishop3 said:
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.
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True. But that has nothing to do with how quick his hands are, or how quickly he can sneak into a passing lane.
 
People are being disingenuous with the whole competition thing. Amen Thompson faced six European teams and excelled. One of those teams had Marc Gasol on them (albeit, aged), another had a future NBA prospect or two on it (Mega MIS), and another was the 36ers who defeated the Phoenix Suns in an exhibition match around the same timeframe they faced Amen.

Essentially, the level of talent they faced were Division I quality. These leagues have produced dozens of NBA players over the years.

Personally, I think the Blazers skipping out on Amen will be similar to them skipping out on Chris Paul. And I think many people on this sub are going to look back with anger.

And hey, I will gladly look back and laugh at myself for being wrong but I don't think I'll be wrong.


This guy has 1% athleticism+body control and 1% court vision/playmaking.

500 NBA players....that means only 5-7 people (1.0-1.4%), give or take, at any given time possess these abilities.

For the former, it's probably Giannis, Edwards, Morant, Zion, Sharpe, Lavine, Lebron.

For the latter, it's probably Simmons, Luka, CP3, Jokic, Lebron, maybe LaMelo, Wagner has potential here too.

That's excellent company to be in.
 
I was about to say that given the pick of Shaedon last year, Amen looks like a very similar selection, EXCEPT Shaedon basically fell into our hands at 6 and was picked below his draft ranking. Taking Amen at #3 would be a reach (albeit not much of one, and one I wholeheartedly endorse). Would we have taken Murray or Mathurin over Sharpe if we had the choice? If so, then we'll probably take Miller.
 
MrDraftGuy said:
People are being disingenuous with the whole competition thing. Amen Thompson faced six European teams and excelled. One of those teams had Marc Gasol on them (albeit, aged), another had a future NBA prospect or two on it (Mega MIS), and another was the 36ers who defeated the Phoenix Suns in an exhibition match around the same timeframe they faced Amen.

Essentially, the level of talent they faced were Division I quality. These leagues have produced dozens of NBA players over the years.

Personally, I think the Blazers skipping out on Amen will be similar to them skipping out on Chris Paul. And I think many people on this sub are going to look back with anger.

...

That's excellent company to be in.
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You're making up a lot of stuff. It's cool if you can eyeball athleticism and court vision down to the percentile ranking, and claiming that because he played in six games against European teams he played at a Division I level (although I find both of those assertions laughable) but I don't think it's at all accurate to say not drafting Amen would be like not drafting Chris Paul.

Chris Paul was accomplished in the ACC for two years in an era where there were fewer one-and-dones than there are now (so older, more physically mature opponents).

Amen Thompson has been one of the oldest guys in professional league where his brother has been the more accomplished player, and where he hasn't demonstrated improvement on his primary weakness: shooting.

So, yeah, I suppose that maybe the Blazers would cause anger amongst its fans by not reaching for him this Thursday, but Chris Paul was an obvious pick and the Blazers traded away from him, which caused rage on draft day and has continued, to some degree, ever since.

Fuck PatterNash.
 
Rastapopoulos said:
I was about to say that given the pick of Shaedon last year, Amen looks like a very similar selection, EXCEPT Shaedon basically fell into our hands at 6 and was picked below his draft ranking. Taking Amen at #3 would be a reach (albeit not much of one, and one I wholeheartedly endorse). Would we have taken Murray or Mathurin over Sharpe if we had the choice? If so, then we'll probably take Miller.
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Sharpe was young and could shoot.

How is that at all like Amen Thompson, who is older than Sharpe by four months in absolute terms and makes Scoot Henderson look like Mark Price?
 
Ed O said:
Sharpe was young and could shoot.

How is that at all like Amen Thompson, who is older than Sharpe by four months in absolute terms and makes Scoot Henderson look like Mark Price?
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Ooh, good throwback comparison.

Shaedon doesn't have PG skills, which allegedly Thompson does. Shaedon also sucks ass as a defender and Thompson doesn't. What they have in common is being unbelievably athletic and being high risk-high reward picks. One can imagine them forming a starting backcourt together down the road. It would be silly to pick Shaedon's clone rather than a player whose skills complement him.
 
Here are the Thompson twins playing against some high school tier scrubs at the OTE facility.

I see Jr Smith, Rodney Hood, Collin Sexton, G League MVP Frank Mason!

The twins showcased smooth passing, potential defensive skills (blocks, defense against guards), and in Ausar's case - three point shooting. In the past, before the season started even (aka during the time of this video), Ausar was actually regarded as the superior prospect and he looked like it, in this video.



Don't worry. You guys can relax. This is just one last glance before we select Scoot (and trade Dame and Ant away forever).
 
Rastapopoulos said:
I was about to say that given the pick of Shaedon last year, Amen looks like a very similar selection, EXCEPT Shaedon basically fell into our hands at 6 and was picked below his draft ranking. Taking Amen at #3 would be a reach (albeit not much of one, and one I wholeheartedly endorse). Would we have taken Murray or Mathurin over Sharpe if we had the choice? If so, then we'll probably take Miller.
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#7, but I get your point.
 
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