NBA Draft: The Tale Of The Thompson Twins

Amen and Ausar Thompson both flashed their elite upsides during their rookie season, but their shooting struggles raised questions about their long-term potential

Jan 1, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Amen Thompson (1) and Detroit Pistons forward Ausar Thompson (9) on the court during the game at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The 2023 NBA Draft brought two of the most polarizing prospects in recent years: Amen and Ausar Thompson. These twins possess top-tier athleticism along with elite defensive upside, but their lack of shooting has raised glaring concerns. At times throughout their rookie year, their productivity seemed to overshadow these shooting issues, but the question of just how impactful they can be with such poor shooting still looms. This article will dive into the Thompson twins’ games over their rookie year and explore whether they can still live up to their top-five draft selections.

Both twins have great positional size and length, which creates roles for them on the defensive end, allowing them to apply consistent pressure. As mentioned earlier, their athleticism shines both vertically and laterally, enabling them to cover the court and capitalize on transition opportunities. Versatile defenders can carve out roles for themselves relatively easily on most NBA teams, but having such unrefined offensive skills makes this harder. These similarities highlight the overarching views of both Thompsons’ games, but they each brought unique aspects throughout their rookie year.

Amen Thompson was selected No. 4 overall by the Houston Rockets. Most people assumed he would be brought in to run the show as their lead ball-handler and playmaker. He was seen as a great passer leading into the draft, which made him stand out as a unique prospect when combining this with his 6-foot-7 frame and eye-catching athleticism. After struggling with an injury early in his rookie season, Amen finished the year in a unique role where he helped with ball-handling but was asked to play more as a forward than a guard. Houston’s roster is loaded with young players, so it is reasonable to believe they are trying out different lineups to find the best fit for everyone. If Amen can improve to become a decent three-point shooter, he could transition more into a guard role and gain greater opportunities to showcase why he was drafted so highly.

Ausar Thompson burst onto the scene early in his rookie year after being selected fifth by the Detroit Pistons. With a similar strong and athletic frame to his brother, Ausar has a near limitless upside on both ends of the floor but could take some time to finish rounding out. He made his presence felt on the defensive end, where he consistently tallied steals and blocks which led to highlights with high-flying finishes around the rim. Like his brother, Ausar was everywhere on defense but faced significant struggles offensively as the season progressed. Teams eventually dared Ausar to take threes, and even though he was wide open on most of these attempts, he converted below 20% of his shots from deep. While he does not have the same upside in terms of on-ball creation as Amen, he is an effective cutter and play-finisher on the interior. Playing in Detroit does not offer Ausar the same versatility in terms of the role that Amen has in Houston, but with fewer high-upside teammates, he should be able to fill one of the wing positions with more ease.

Amen and Ausar’s upsides are both extremely dependent on their three-point shooting improving, but the other aspects that have already made an impact should buy them a little more time to finish rounding out their games. The shortcomings may cause their top-five draft positions to come into question at times, but they are the type of swings that could still pay off big over time. Prospects are selected every year who have glaring weak points in their games, and the Thompson twins are no different. If their shooting does not improve, they could quickly fade out of their rotations, but if they do improve, their potential is extremely high.

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