I don’t really care if Amen plays any of the 1-3 positions this year, just so he plays 30 or more Mins a game and gets to play a significant amount of minutes with Sengun and Jabari. He is ou future pg though
How is that unusual? They both went the same developmental path so their skillets will also be similar. Shooting is more practice than talent, if their coaches never taught them proper shooting form then they would never develop it.
I dunno how much more advanced Scoot is considering he got benched and got labeled a bust at the start of the year. Regardless Amen and Scoot will never have the exact same play style because Scoot is a midget while Amen is 6'7 with 7'0 wingspan. It will be a massive waste of his potential if you don't take advantage of his length and size.
Totally agree - I did a poor job explaining my point that he is amazing despite the lack of traditional pg skills. This kid really is cut different - I’m here for it.
Thinking about comps and similarity scores and stuff--have we discussed D-Wade at all? I realize that's a ridiculously high bar, but I can see some similarities. Like Amen, Wade was actually drafted as a point guard. Wade was always a pretty incredible steals/blocks guy for a guard, incredible athleticism and wingspan, able to get to the rim at will with fluidity and explosiveness. He was always a poor shooter throughout his career, moreso early on. Career 29% shooter from three (only 1.8 attempts per game), and on two pointers beyond 10 feet out, he shot only 38.5%. His scoring was really centered around the paint. Even a lot of his jump shots were inside 10 feet, which is also where Amen's form looks least-awful. As a rookie, per 36 minutes: Amen Thompson (age 20) 14.2 points, 4.6 assists, 10.0 rebounds, 2.2 steals, 0.8 blocks, 51.2% shooting Dwyane Wade (age 22) 16.8 points, 4.7 assists, 4.2 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 0.6 blocks, 46.5% shooting There are some key differences. I think Wade was a better ballhandler and more aggressive looking to score even from the beginning, whereas Amen seems more willing to pass. Wade's upper body was much stronger, but on the other hand, Amen has a couple inches on him in height. I think this may lead to Amen being an even better rim finisher when he gets the chance but drawing fewer fouls than Wade did. Amen's height and nose for the ball also lead to him being an excellent rebounder, as good or better than many power forwards, whereas Wade was just decent in that category. Still, I think if we want to talk about possible peak outcomes and guards who got it done relatively recently while being bad jump shooters--Wade is kind of right there and was extremely successful in a way that Westbrook never was.
I’m happy he’s looking better but the lack of a shot will ultimately hold him back from being great. If he doesn’t improve his shooting tremendously by the end of next season then I don’t see it ever happening.
I mean, yeah that's what basically everybody was saying during the draft process. But I don't think he absolutely needs to become a great shooter. I think he could get by with hitting someting like 32%. Why is 3pt shooting important? Well, its the most efficient shot in basketball and misses often times lead to long rebounds with a better chance of recovery - outside of that it is mostly about spacing. When Amen has the ball, defendes can drop back. But with Amens quickness and athleticism he has shown, that he can still get by most defenders and either get a good shot or pass to an open teammates. Without the ball, defenders can clog the paint. That's probably the biggest issue. But the answer probably is, that he shouldn't be standing still at the 3pt line when he doesn't have the ball. He should constantly be cutting, setting screens etc. So yeah, work on the shot as much as possible - also try to tighten up those handles and get a better feel for the game. But he can be a great basketball player without being a great shooter.
I look forward to the day when we can run lineups featuring Amen, Tari, and Tate together. Just let the 3 guys with that dog mentality let loose. The trio had a net rating of +23.3 this season before injuries hit. I think that lineup could be special.
I agree with this. I noticed that Tari and Tate were good together. I called them TnT. They were dynamite together. A lineup with Tari, Tate and Thompson would be absolutely explosive.
I you believe in labeling a kid 20 something games into their rookie career a bust, then you get what you deserve because that is NOT a credible source - plain and simple....even if the player does end up being a bust, it's not because of what we saw the first x games in someone's career - the reality is no one can tell that early in anyone's career.
Why do you think Scoot has played poorly? His last 7 outings he's 41, 44, 18, 53, 54, 55 and 50% from the field on 12ish shots per game. Assists are 4,9,9,2,4,4,4. Averaging 18 PPG and above 5 assists.
