I don't see that team necessarily making the play-in unless we have a massive breakout year from a guy like Green or Sengun. But it should at least be within a few games of the last play-in slot toward the end of the year, which would at least be a major improvement.
What's crazy to me is he regularly gets up so high (like on virtually every open court dunk) that his head is nearly touching the rim and he has time to rear back with both hands and drop it in. This is not a dude who is going to be missing dunks unless they get blocked, that's for sure. Even in the worst case (non-injury) scenario, I don't see any reason he can't be a rim-running defensive specialist off the bench, something like KJ Martin with better defense. That's not a great value with a top 5 pick, but it's not a total bust out of the league in a few years type of guy either.
The second unit is going to have a swarming pace if it's Amen growing into that role. Would've loved Scoot but thankful Rockets have the #4, could be WAY worse.
https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/...yama-scoot-henderson-and-other-top-prospects/ 4. Amen Thompson Pro comp: 99th percentile athlete version of Dejounte Murray Unorthodox shooting mechanics aside, Thompson has one of the highest ceilings of players eligible in this year's class with a rare blend of athleticism and playmaking. The jumper is a question mark that lingers after two seasons with Overtime Elite, but he has the physical tools and frame to develop into an All-Star. Spoiler 1. Victor Wembanyama Pro comp: Kristaps Porzingis' size, Rudy Gobert's shot-blocking, Kevin Durant's wiggle 2. Scoot Henderson Pro comp: Collin Sexton's competitiveness, Russell Westbrook's athleticism 3. Brandon Miller Pro comp: Playmaking Jabari Smith Jr. 5. Cam Whitmore Pro comp: Miles Bridges Similar to Miles Bridges when he came out of Michigan State, Whitmore is an explosive, above-the-rim wing who was miscast as a top option but has the game to be a do-it-all, role-playing wing with star power at the NBA level. Whitmore averaged 12.5 points and shot 34.3% from 3 as a freshman at Villanova. He's had one of the best pre-draft processes among lottery talents, positioning him to potentially hear his name called as early as No. 4 on draft night. 6. Ausar Thompson Pro comp: Andrew Wiggins Long seen as the second-best prospect between him and his twin, Amen, Ausar had more assists per game last season than his brother and developed into a more natural scorer with Overtime Elite, too. He brings playmaking upside and scoring punch as a potential top-five pick who can be a difference-maker on both ends when engaged. 7. Jarace Walker Pro comp: Thomas Bryant ... but better (much, much better) 8. Anthony Black Pro comp: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 9. Taylor Hendricks Pro comp: Jaden McDaniels 10. Gradey Dick Pro comp: Kevin Huerter
What you are describing is the SF version of Kenneth Faried. That's a guy that washes out of the league pretty quickly. You simply can't be a guard or wing and be THAT bad at shooting the ball. You can get away with it a bit more if you are a PF or C, but he's not that.
https://theathletic.com/4623811/202...te-brandon-miller-vs-scoot-henderson-at-no-2/ 4. Houston Rockets Amen Thompson | 6-6 lead guard | 20 years old | Overtime Elite The “Cam Whitmore has entered the chat” angle is legitimate, and heading into Thursday, the Rockets’ draft prep throng will continue to deliberate. But once the dust settles, Thompson should have his name called here. We can talk about his shooting struggles until we’re blue in the face — he’ll be locked in a room with assistant Ben Sullivan and won’t emerge until his mechanics are smoothed out. But explosive guards at this size with quality playmaking and defensive versatility don’t come around that often. Thompson will fit like a glove with Jalen Green and Jabari Smith Jr., and new coach Ime Udoka will love his intensity and demeanor. Make the pick and pivot toward free agency for the real team deficiencies. — Kelly Iko Spoiler 20. Houston Rockets Jett Howard | 6-7 wing | 19 years old | Michigan Rockets officials are weighing the prospect of trading this pick, but if they hold on to it, they should add an outside threat. Udoka has privately and publicly stressed the burning need for an injection of shooting on a Rockets team that finished bottom of the barrel in 3-point percentage last season. Howard steps in as a fluid 6-foot-7 sniper who showed he was more than a standstill spacer at Michigan, able to run off screens and different actions to get open. That’s a skill desperately needed in Houston. Defensively, he has a long way to go physically and schematically, but at that size and with a head coach who lives and breathes by it, Howard’s upside outweighs his shortcomings. — Iko
Money's probably the main factor. The perception of level of competition of various leagues has changed over time and some players aren't afraid to blaze a new path. Euroleague is regarded as one of the top leagues in the world, but that was not always the case. 20 years ago, people were really prejudiced against European basketball and expected American players to do well over there by default. Brandon Jennings was the first top prospect to forgo college to play in Europe instead and showed that it was a much tougher than people expected. Now we have prospects playing all over the place. Lamelo Ball went to Lithuania to play in a lower tier European league rather than do his senior year in high school. We have top prospects coming out of the G league. If the Thompson twins do well, expect to see more top prospects try out OTE. While I like NCAA basketball, I don't think these players should make a huge financial sacrifice for my entertainment. They can be scouted anywhere nowadays.
Would be really cool if they somehow drafted both Twins First wish would be drafting Scoot without giving up too much
2x, 3x -- when a talent of this magnitude becomes available you gladly pay thru the nose whatever it takes
My definition of "generational" only comes around once every 15-20 years or so .... Seems you cats have a "generational" something every draft. Yes. You do.
If he can shoot he will be a generational point guard, he is a taller Ja Morant and taller John Wall….without a shot
I feel like Amen is destined to be an elite defender -- mostly because his physical tools are elite-elite, and he seems to be a hard worker. He's not there yet, but I think the trajectory of his career will likely point him in that direction. I think his offense is far behind what people think, and won't translate well outside of in transition opportunities...and if he wants to remain a key piece on a winning team, he's going to have to use his athleticism and 6'7" 215 frame to wreak havoc on opposing Guards/Wings. I think his offense is behind is not only because his J is irrecovably broken, but also he's never played against against pressure where defenses are attacking you, rather than sitting back and waiting for you to attack (as it is for OTE games). When you're that much more physically talented (and older) than your competition, it's not difficult to kick back and rack up triple doubles...not unlike Ben Simmons did in HS/College and his early career until things got real in the playoffs. But Simmons was further along as a PG and defender, and was bigger (Amen's obviously has more bounce). I'm not saying Amen has the mental deficiencies Simmons had, I'm just saying he's not an attack-at-will type like Westbrook, whose mentality helped mask his shaky J much of his career, because his motor was so far ahead of his competition. He's a guy who will likely be a terror in transition, but you can't collapse defenses half as well if your defender is playing 10 feet off of you. There isn't a clear comparison for him, because he is such a rare athlete, but I honestly see him becoming an 11/7/7 type with 2 steals, 1 block and All-Defense potential. And that's definitely valuable, but if he ends up staying around a 25% 3-point shooter and 60% from FT (which is what I expect based on his J mechanics), he's going to be coming off the floor down the stretch in big games a lot of the time.
When you watched the game, OTE VS OHAMA he looked and felt very comfortable. The OHAMA team was former NBA players and just GLeague players and you could see defense presence: like rebounding, shot blocking and steals. He shot the ball only 7 times but two times he were fouled. If he shoot 30-33% at the 3 point line, he could be a all star. The first time I seen him played I thought about a taller JaMorant and Amen can play defense
Omaha Blue Crew's roster is full of people from Creighton and the Omaha area. They're not necessarily "former NBA players". As a matter of fact, I can't think of any notable NBA players on the team from 2022 other than maybe former Rockets legend, Justin Patton, who was in the NBA for a few minutes, but I don't recall who all else were on there.
