Amen Thompson is getting ready to hopefully hear his name called within the top five picks of the 2023 NBA Draft taking place Thursday night at Barclays Center in New York City. There have been rumors of Thompson to the Portland Trailblazers at three, the Houston Rockets at four, and the Detroit Pistons at five. There is also a high likelihood that his brother Ausar Thompson could go to any three of these teams and the two brothers could be selected back-to-back; Amen Thompson would love to hear his name called before his brother for familial bragging rights. Nevertheless, whoever does end up drafting Amen Thompson will be getting an extremely athletic guard that mimics two players in particular; Amen Thompson's player comparisons are Ja Morant and John Wall.
Amen Thompson spent the last season playing for Overtime Elite over the G-League Ignite or playing college basketball. He had a solid season, averaging 16.4 points, 5.9 assists and 5.9 rebounds per game. However, he did shoot an abysmal 25% from beyond the arc and 65% from the free throw line, so he has some major improvements to make once he arrives at the next level. Overall he shot 56% from the field, so at least he kept his efficiency up as a whole. Amen Thompson's numbers paint a pretty clear picture of the type of player he is, and it is why his player comparisons are fairly evident. He comes into the league ready to fill the shoes of guards like Ja Morant and John Wall, and eventually earn player comparisons to himself from prospects in the future.
*Stats via DraftKings
Ja Morant
The number one attribute that stands out about Amen Thompson is his explosiveness. Like Ja Morant, Amen Thompson is at his best when he attacks the rim with reckless abandon and hangs above the hoop. There are not many guards in the NBA that can sustain the hang-time that Thompson can, which is why he is a very similar prototype to Morant. As well as the strengths that Ja Morant possesses, they have very similar weaknesses as well. Ja Morant has improved his shot since coming into the NBA, but it is still what he struggles with the most and will be what Amen Thompson struggles with as well.
Amen Thompson shouldn't face many issues getting to the rim once he arrives in the NBA. Not only is he explosive like Ja Morant, but he has much better size at 6'5 and a 7 foot wingspan. His size combined with Morant like athleticism will make him extremely difficult to guard, especially when going downhill. This is why many teams will sag off Thompson and make sure to get the ball out his hands in the fast break; to start his career, teams will make Amen Thompson beat them with his shot until he can prove otherwise. Still, coming in with a comparison to Ja Morant as a rookie is not too bad for Amen Thompson.
John Wall
Amen Thompson is a solid player comparison to John Wall because of his size and defensive abilities. He has a much more similar build to John Wall than he does to Ja Morant, and the way he accelerates is more like Wall versus how quick twitch Morant is. When Wall was in his prime, his speed and quickness was obviously a huge asset, but his strength was a very underrated part of his game. Thompson will be the same, as his size will sneak up on guys because they will be so concerned about keeping him in front.
Besides the quickness, Amen Thompson is most like John Wall due to his defensive tendencies. As soon as John Wall arrived in the NBA he made a name for himself with his great anticipation skills on defense and his ability to force turnovers both on and off the ball. Amen Thompson is the exact same way, and he demonstrated that last season with the Overtime Elite. He averaged 2.3 steals per game, which would be a great mark in the NBA. He was often leading the fast break and getting other guys involved off of turnovers; this sounds exactly like the type of player that John Wall was and is still currently.
While Amen Thompson prepares for the 2023 NBA Draft, he is undoubtedly not that worried about his NBA player comparisons. However, there are a lot more worse comparisons than John Wall and Ja Morant, and Amen Thompson can be proud of the reputation he has set for himself coming into the association. The only job now is to get drafted and make Amen Thompson a household name in itself.
Follow Us
Subscribe