Which Thompson Twin Will Have A Better NBA Rookie Statistically?
As identical twins, the basketball journeys of Amen and Ausar Thompson have always been closely intertwined. From sharing the court at Pine Crest High School to as members of the City Reapers of Overtime Elite, they’ve always found themselves in similar situations with similar responsibilities.
However, on draft night, that fact changed. Amen was drafted fourth overall by the Houston Rockets while Ausar was taken by the Detroit Pistons with the next pick. Now across the country from one another, the twins will each have different roles for different squads. To illustrate these differences, let’s take a look at how they will be reflected through basic box score statistics and make some predictions.
Points: Amen Thompson
In Houston, Amen will likely share lead ball-handling duties with Jalen Green and Fred Vanvleet. On the contrary, Ausar will be sharing the floor with Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey, who will be tasked with the vast majority of the creation load. Amen will be relied on as the lead playmaker for his team, granting him more on-ball opportunity to create scoring chances for himself than Ausar.
Rebounds: Ausar Thompson
While playing alongside Cunningham and Ivey means less ball-handling responsibility for Ausar, it does give him more “big man” duties, for he’ll be asked to play alongside these smaller guards. This will mean more rebounding chances for Ausar than Amen will receive while playing alongside more forwards and centers such as Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr., and Tari Eason.
Assists: Amen Thompson
Similar to their scoring situations, Amen’s greater handling opportunity will lead to more assists from him than from Ausar. He will have the ball in his hands more as the lead creator for the Rockets, resulting in more dimes dropped.
Steals/Blocks: Ausar Thompson
For one, Ausar has always been the better defensive player of the twins. Additionally, with less of a role offensively, Ausar can focus more energy towards the other side of the court, likely leading to more steals and blocks for him.
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