Tier: Franchise Changer

Player Comparisons: Jason Richardson, Terrence Ross

Ausar is an elite athlete. He’s got a great frame with a good wingspan and a strong body. He’s a great defender and has a high passing IQ and ability. He’s been improving his shooting which makes some believe that he might be the best Thompson twin, not Amen. Ausar is excellent at making passes off the dribble. He’s been developing as a shooter and driver. Ausar is an elite defender who has a nose for the ball. He is the better shooter of the Thompson twins as well as a better defender and his holes seem much more fixable.

20.4 year-old 6'7 SG/SF. 2-Way Slasher. Ausar is just about as athletic as his twin brother, with elite bounce, speed and burst. He's a good passer from the perimeter, especially off screens, but gets tunnel vision once he penetrates the second level, focusing on scoring and making bad passes when he is stopped. The shooting is inconsistent and the form is bad, but it could be a work in progress that an NBA shooting coach could help with. Ausar's defense, off-ball especially, has been very good in the Overtime Elite. He has bad habits, like playing upright and biting hard on fakes, but he has the tools to be an elite versatile defender. His ability to block shots from the weak side and contest jumpers combined with his speed and athleticism should allow Ausar to guard 1-3 in the NBA.

Strengths:

+++Athleticism

++Blocks

++Steals

+Interior Finishing

+Passing

Weaknesses:

---Shooting

-Turnovers

-Handle

Shades Of:

RJ Barrett, Josh Giddey, Caris Levert

Ceiling: All-Star, 2-Way Slashing Playmaker

Floor: Bench, 2-Way Slasher

Team Fit:

Until Ausar's shot improves, he needs to be surrounded by shooters and playmakers that can find him on backdoor cuts. A team that has good shooting coaches and could use an athletic connector wing may take a swing on Ausar early on. It is not an entirely risky pick, as his defensive potential and athleticism make him a fairly safe bet to have a long NBA career.

Best fits within range: Orlando, Indiana, Utah, Toronto

OFFENSE Very good passer esp in transition Hitaheads High IQ and feel passer with flashes outta P&r also can be good connecting passer in the flow of the offense top tier athlete, speed burst and leaping ability great cutter, lob threat too

DEFENSE

Projected draft range: 3-7

Projected NBA rookie role:

Strengths: Like his twin, asuar is a Terrific Athlete, Great Finisher, Good Playmaker, a good defender, and can play 1-3

Weakness: He is Undisciplined on Defense, ain't a good shooter, it is hard to see if is offence will translate into the nba, hes playing against very weak competition, and he is not a true guard, can handle it but isn't really a primary or secondary initiator at this point

Shades of/comp: Jason Richardson/Terrence Ross

Best outcome: hard to tell he can be a hof player like dwade or just an all star player

mid outcome: average starter struggles to shoot but just a mid player

worst outcome: can't translate offence into the nba and his defensive laziness will be a liability off the bench

Overview

Strengths: [ Athleticism, on ball defense, and versatility. ]

Weaknesses: [ Shooting, ball handling, and inexperience. ]

Summary: [ Really versatile and athletic defender that has flashed offensive upside as a slasher and playmaker. ]

Player analysis

Ausar Thompson is one half to the most athletic pair of brothers/twins the league has seen. He has an insane vertical and when put together with his amazing ability to shift his way around the floor it makes up an elite physical profile. At 6’7”, he’s huge for a guard and has really bullied his way into doing whatever he wants with Overtime Elite. Unlike his brother, he is a somewhat competent shooter but isn’t nearly the level of floor general. He doesn’t shoot from deep very often but his percentage, especially as of late, have been a pleasant surprise. Ausar has a much smoother stroke than his brother and simply looks a lot more comfortable with his shot. He’s flashed that clutch shot making x-factor in some big close games over the course of the OTE season but honestly these games hold very little overall value and pressure so I'm not sure if there are many stakes there. He is still a stellar passer for his size but has less point guard potential than his brother. He doesn’t truly read the floor but he does have a feel for moving the ball around. Ausar sometimes moves the ball too quickly for his own good which can lead to sloppy turnovers. Although the playmaking numbers are similar, it’s clear he isn’t given as much freedom when it comes to making the flashy passes. However, similar to his brother, he is a really gifted cutter and slasher. His athleticism makes it easy for him to zoom right to the rim and get over any defender he needs to get past. Ausar is another example of a great fast twitch and explosive athlete that alludes to ridiculous upside. He is a nice lob threat that works well as a highflying paint threat that if not watched, could be deadly. His touch, finesse, and skill might need some work for when he’s trying to finish efficiently but there is certainly no trouble when it comes to him getting the opportunities and the basket. Ausar could thrive next to another lead playmaker like his brother at the next level but honestly he could blossom into more of a distributor himself if given more of an opportunity. With OTE he has had to share the court with Amen which has made it difficult for him to truly display his prowess and earn responsibilities with the ball. Defense is definitely a strong suit in his game that might be due to the athletic advantage he has in a weaker league but the film shows that he does have at least some capability. He is a good on ball defender but like the rest of his game, due to inexperienced and occasional tunnel vision, he can have lapses when it comes to off the ball defense. He keeps his feet planted well and has a feel for fighting over screens and cutting off passing lanes. He uses his great length well to deter the ball. Ausar can have some poor timing but he can come in as a nice weak side shot blocker when needed as he can easily get up to the rim. He has problems with overall court awareness sometimes and can overreach for bigger plays but this is common among younger players, especially on defense. Something that is promising is his nice switchability, he works well on a variety of different positions and can adjust his game for each one. His physical profile gives him all the tools available to be great on that end but he needs to clean up those aforementioned mistakes. His game is catered more towards a versatile on and off ball role that is more adaptable to a system where he wouldn’t get as many touches. Although he is viewed by many as the lesser brother and will garner many comparisons to Amen (as I've done a few times here), he should be viewed as a separate player. Ausar is honestly a very different prospect compared to his brother and I could see a world where teams start to turn and end up liking him more than Amen. He has centerpiece upside but I personally really like him as a complimentary star. I think he could be a stud, all star level role player, that can make a big winning impact as he figures out all the little mistakes that haven’t quite been kinked out yet.

Projection

Draft range: [ 3 - 9 ]

Shades of: [ Harrison Barnes, Franz Wagner, and Devin Vassell. ]

At 6’7” with substantial on-ball creation abilities and incredible vertical pop, Ausar has moments that make you want to pull the trigger on him as quickly as Amen. They are the perfect highlight machines for a league which was made for highlights. But one downside, for them at least, of this league in which Amen and Ausar are both indisputably the stars, is that there might be a little bit too much dunking. Highlight reels and twitter clips can often hide how often high school basketball devolves into dunking contests, and OTE, with it’s focus on creating dynamic, highlight-laden experience is probably more guilty of this than some of the other similar contemporaries such as Monteverde, Sierra Canyon, IMG, La Lumiere, Sunrise Christian and Oak Hill are.

That’s all to say: My concerns with Amen as a shooter continue with Ausar, despite better numbers on the outset of this season. Add on the fact that I see Ausar as more of a secondary creator in terms of on-ball skill, and he's landing a bit lower on this board.