Amen Thompson is a special athlete with passing chops but there are questions about just how good he truly is now and how that impacts his long term prospects to be worth a top 5 pick. Amen played in the Overtime Elite league, beating up on inferior competition. Competition aside, Amen Thompson is a 99th percentile athlete who could step into the NBA and thrive defensively and with impressive playmaking skills. He really struggles to shoot the ball and is not the youngest prospect, making only scoring 16 ppg slightly worrisome vs younger athletes. Amen Thompson could be somewhat of a 6’6” turbo athlete playmaker who gets to the rim at will and defends high level wings on the opposite end but there is fair scepticism about his shot.

Strengths: Tremendous athlete Big lead guard. Height and strength Lightning fast in open court and in half court with first step 74% around the rim. Sees over the defense and passes promptly Downhill attacker. Good patience as a passer Improving floater game. Great rebounder. Good instincts defensively in passing lanes. Weaknesses: Poor Shooter with poor showing at pro day. Shot 29% on jump shots and 66% from free throw line. Drives recklessly at times. Can force going downhill due to lack of shot. Not a gifted scorer in terms of knowing how to score without physical traits. Must improve mid range game. Swing Skills: Amen Thompson must become a better shooter to realize the potential he possesses in a dream body for the modern NBA on ball guard who has serious 2 way upside. Thompson shot so poorly in pro day workouts that he abandoned displaying the shot at times. The upside is so clear of a guy who can score 18-20 ppg and dish out 8 plus assists while being nearly all defensive team caliber but his lack of shooting nor proof of success in more reputable leagues put pause into teams making the evaluation. His potential might be the second highest in the class should he hit to the 100th degree.

Tier: Franchise Changer

Player Comparisons: Ja Morant, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Amen is the better of the talented Thompson twins, although Ausar is still elite. Amen is an elite athlete. He took an interesting route to the NBA, playing at Overtime Elite instead of going to college. However, it's still easy to see that he's an elite prospect with franchise-changing capabilities. He's a 6'7" combo guard and one of the most explosive players in the draft. He's a great playmaker and can put a team on his back if need be. He's got a quick first step and is a great finisher, often soaring through the air for flashy dunks thanks to his fantastic bounce and long wingspan. His biggest weakness is his jump shot and he has much room to improve. He also often struggles from the FT Line. He also sometimes gets overconfident and tries to do too much, leading to careless turnovers.

Bio: Overtime Elite, January 30, 2003 (20), 6’5.75”, 214 lb, Wing

Stats:

Strengths:

• Athleticism

• Passing

• Getting to the rim

Weaknesses:

• Shooting

• Passer, not playmaker

• Played in low competition level

• Needs to add a better pullup jump shot

Rundown:

Amen and his brother represent a new era or basketball by way of OTE. The up and coming program plays at a pretty low competition level and that is why I don’t have him higher. He has crazy athleticism and his theoretical potential is crazy high, but I think that the jump to the NBA level will turn him into more of a role player. He isn’t the best decision maker. If the shooting never comes around, then neither will his playmaking. In short, he has potential, but also has strong bust potential.

Shades of: Hamidou Diallo

• Overtime Elite (OTE) is a American professional basketball league for 16–20-year-olds.

• OTE Champion (2023)

• Height w/o shoes: 6'5.75"

• Wingspan: 7'0.0"

• Did not participate in pre-draft NBA combine max vertical.

• * Worked out for the Portland Trail Blazers.

20.4 year-old 6'7 PG/SG/SF. Playmaking Slasher. Amen will enter the NBA as a top 10 athlete in the league. His unreal leaping ability and playmaking flashes are beyond intriguing. He plays with his head up and moves fast, eager to set up his teammates for an open look, but not shy to attack the rim when he has an open lane. He has somewhat of a midrange jumper, but anything beyond 15-feet has been a struggle for Amen. The shot form continually changes and it is clear he is making adjustments to try and improve it. Maybe with a good shooting coach Amen could become somewhat of a threat from range, but it is nothing to bank on. Amen projects very well defensively with his size, length, and athleticism. He has a knack for steals, good defensive instincts, and is great in transition defense. However, he has many bad habits, especially off-ball, that would be a liability if he were on an NBA floor tomorrow. He is often too aggressive in going for steals, turns his back to the ball, and gets beat by the backdoor cut. I do see Amen being a good NBA defender, but it will require some work from the coaching staff of the organization that drafts him.

Strengths:

++++Athleticism

++Feel For The Game

++Pass Vision

++Handles

++Steals

++Scoring Production

+Basketball IQ

Weaknesses:

----Shooting

---Defensive Consistency

--Turnovers

-Decision Making

Shades Of:

Ja Morant, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Cade Cunningham, Ben Simmons (shorter and more athletic)

Ceiling: Hall of Fame, 2 Way Playmaker

Floor: Starter, Slashing Gadget

Team Fit:

Amen's potential is largely dependent on the willingness and ability to develop him by the organization that drafts him. He can be your franchise player, but there is work to be done to get him to that point. Amen would be best suited on a team that lets him have the ball in his hands to make plays for himself and others. Being surrounded by shooting and a good team defensive system would be ideal for Amen.

Best fits within range: San Antonio, Washington, Utah, (New Orleans, Houston)

Amen Thompson is one of the most interesting basketball players I have ever encountered. His athleticism and finishing ability is on the Scoot Henderson level, and Amen is 5 inches taller. I also really love his passing, definitely can see him running a good NBA teams offense one day. The defense is legitimately really good as well. The 3-point shooting has a long ways to go, but Amen is so good at so many other things that he still is one of the best prospects in this draft class.

Best team fits: Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, Utah Jazz

OFFENSE 6.6 6.11 wingspan 190 pounds 2003 He is not a particolary young prospect will be 21 quasi all esprdio Handle good enough effficient and quick(not loose but not great) to go to the rim (good crossover) Electric first step amazing athlete At his most powerful when jumping off 2 feet (glides in the air) Great second jump Gets downhill hard and fast and has good touch at the rim with both lends Very crafty e slithery at the rim Uses it because not strong enough yet He is playing with weaker competition right now Passing is really impressive Can see the fooor and recognise help when he drives and hit weak side Not just a pass away passer Not incredible passer like luka trae cp3 but still really good for his size Still more reactionary than prescrive and he recognises it well IF HE IS NOT A PRIMARY BALL HANDLER HE IS A SECONDARY PLAYMAKER AND HIS CEILING GO DOWN A LOT IF HE IS OFF THE BALL HE NEED TO CONTRIBUTE (When he is off ball not optimal he goes toward the ball and cuts are telegraphed) SHOOTING IS BAD he is a ONE level scorer at the moment Shot 22%from 3 mechanics still under construction 56.2% from FT LINE He wasn’t willing to shoot that much in 3 and midrange we should see it more(HE IS CHANGING HIS MOTION SO WE WILL SEE) Right now defense can go under or drop easily since no threat of jumper or floater Should also improve Ft% SHOOTING FORM CHANGED BUT ERLY IN THE SEASON RESULTS STILL NOT THERE , % STILL BAD AND NOT MANY MORE ATTEMPTS XG

DEFENSE More than capable defender Has size quickness athleticism and instincts also solid Good lateral mover Not the strongest guy Flashes of being great at POA Impactful in passing lanes also had some good blocks and plays as a helper Some good chase down Off ball sometimes leaves man open in strong side corner to contest drive NO NO weak side not always active Can improve in term of consistency (not real stakes there most of the time)