.The Overtime Elite has become a central part of basketball development as players prepare for the NBA. Two players this year to watch are twins Amen Thompson and Ausar Thomspon. The Thompson brothers joined Overtime Elite in 2021 when the program began, and they are two of the most polarizing players mentioned when discussing the 2023 NBA Draft.
Kevin Ollie, who was the head of coaching and development for Overtime Elite from 2021 until just a couple of weeks ago, raved about these two players (h/t Mirin Fader of The Ringer).
“I think they can be Hall of Fame players.”
That's a bold claim from Kevin Ollie, and he has seen his fair share of Hall of Fame talent even during his coaching days.
Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson are the unquestioned top two players in the upcoming NBA Draft. Still, the Thompson twins are slated to both go within the top 10 picks pretty much everywhere.
Overtime Elite general manager and head of basketball Damien Williams can't decide which of the two is better. “A lot of people want to ask, ‘Who’s better?’ It’s a hard question to answer because it just depends on what you want. They’re both really special.”
Both players have a ton of talent, and bypassing college to go to Overtime Elite has seemingly paid off for both of them. Despite the pre-draft buzz, Amen Thompson knows he has to work hard regardless of how high he is selected.
“Wherever I get drafted, I can just chill because I got a couple million? No. It’s about being the best, being legendary. Being the third pick don’t make you legendary. Being whatever pick doesn’t make you great.”
It will be interesting to see where Amen Thompson and Ausar Thompson go in the NBA Draft. Either way, both players should have long careers ahead of them.