POP 2023 NBA Draft Profile: Amen Thompson

The Thompson twins have shown up as the biggest question-mark prospects of this draft cycle, and Amen Thompson — born one minute before twin brother and fellow Pistons target Ausar Thompson — finds himself among the most polarizing pre-draft prospects of the past decade.

Amen measured in at 6’5.75” and 214 lbs at this year’s combine with a whopping 7’0 wingspan. He’s played the role of a true lead guard for the entirety of his playing career, and projects to be a point guard at the NBA level.

Amen broke onto the NBA’s radar in 2021, making headlines with a 43-point comeback performance to win the Florida Class 4A state championship at Pine Crest School. The twins skipped their senior year of high school and signed two-year contracts with Overtime Elite, an upstart player development program, and are widely considered to be OTE’s first success stories.

Amen’s journey with OTE comes with caveats — he's spent the past two seasons in a system playing against 16-20-year-olds at varying stages of their development, while also shooting threes at the NBA length line.

Scouts project Amen’s draft range to fall anywhere between 3 and 7, and the twins have worked out for the Hornets, Trail Blazers, Rockets, and Pistons (among other teams) according to numerous reports.

Strengths

It isn’t hyperbolic to declare Amen will be a top 10 athlete in the league the second he steps on an NBA floor for the first time. His speed and vertical ability, in combination with some of the most creative finishing and exhausting rim pressure you'll see, makes him one of the most tantalizing downhill prospects in recent memory:

https://twitter.com/overtime/status/1606425609013547011?s=20

This video game, trampoline-like athleticism vaults Amen into the top tier of prospects — but it’s not even his most bankable NBA trait.

Amen is one of the best passing prospects of this century - up there with Josh Giddey, Lonzo Ball, Luka Doncic, and dare I say… Nikola Jokic? He consistently finds rollers in the right spots, always hits open shooters with skips and whips, and uses his rim pressure as an avenue to make the right play every time.

https://twitter.com/NBADraftWass/status/1567943347557515264?s=20

Defensively, Amen’s quickness, vertical leaping ability, and frame give him the chance to make an instant impact. For as good of a processor Amen is offensively, he uses the same gifts to bait passing lanes and contest shots — making him a demon in transition if he's able to get a hand on the ball. He’s smart, active, generally in the right spots, and has been under the tutelage of NBA-level coaching for multiple years, so I don’t anticipate much of a learning curve on the defensive end.

His give-a-crap meter is extremely high, and by all accounts is well put-together off the court.

Weaknesses

Jump shot.

https://twitter.com/KevinOConnorNBA/status/1664360856677924864?s=20

There is little indication right now that Amen will ever be a passable shooter in the NBA, as he shot 23% from the NBA line this past season in OTE and 64% from the line. These stats, in combination with an off-kilter shooting form (particularly as the ball crosses his chin on the way up) do not paint a great picture of Amen’s outlook from beyond the long line.

Guard prospects with unusual shooting mechanics have succeeded in the NBA (hello, Tyrese Haliburton) but often enter the league with average statistical profiles.

Amen’s jump shot is a glaring weakness that could severely limit his potential if it fails to come around.

Fit

It’s easy to drum up frustrations about the premise of Detroit drafting its fourth guard in the lottery since Troy Weaver joined the organization in 2020. Some might even say it would be a boneheaded decision to select another lead playmaker that would share the court alongside Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey — two lead playmakers with star potential who are already on the roster but have yet to play more than 11 games together.

But Amen Thompson’s talent might just be too good for Detroit to pass up if he’s available at #5.

The Pistons would be adding another premium athlete, smart defender, and connective playmaker in Amen Thompson. A three guard starting lineup of Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, and Amen Thompson — in combination with Isaiah Stewart and Jalen Duren — give the Pistons the opportunity to drag race in transition and read defenses like Dr. Seuss.

Still, question marks arise about the lack of shooting in any Amen Thompson lineup, no matter which team selects him.

Detroit’s choice to draft him must come with a belief that any of the following statements are true:

• Amen’s rim gravity and savant playmaking exceed what’s currently on the roster, specifically that he will be a more impactful offensive engine than Jaden Ivey long-term

• Amen’s jumpshot will come around to league average while he’s on his rookie contract

• The Pistons’ bench takes major steps forward from three-point range, whether that be in-house development or via free agency

• He will be tied to Bojan Bogdanovic’s minutes with a steel rope

Conclusion

Amen Thompson will be one of the most fascinating prospects to follow from this year’s class. Unique circumstances surround every component of his career, leaving so many questions for him to answer.

Will he be drafted into a situation that gives him the free reign to become the playmaker he’s destined to be?

Is his shot as bad as it seems? If so, how does he survive the Ben Simmons treatment?

Was OTE the right place for his development?

Did the Pistons string Kevin Ollie along in their coaching search so they could gather as much intel on the Thompson twins as possible?

I’m not Troy Weaver, Arn Tellem, or Tom Gores. And if it wasn’t for those dang ping pong balls, Detroit could’ve ensured their chance to select him at a higher draft slot.

But I firmly believe from the bottom of my heart, for both the franchise and fans alike, that for Amen Thompson is a Piston worth praying for.

https://youtu.be/429m0D1kYTk