The San Antonio Spurs are holding steady at their current projected NBA Draft spot as they have the fourth-worst record in the league. While this may not seem ideal, there will still be plenty of options for prospects at that point in the draft. And one that might fall to the Spurs is Overtime Elite’s, Amen Thompson.
The 6-foot-7, 202-pound 19-year-old plays for OTE’s City Reapers team. He is explosive, supremely athletic, and can run a team’s offense at the NBA level. OTE is not exactly collegiate-level ball, but it’s still something better than high school leagues. Having said that, there are some traits that very clearly stand out and will translate to the pros. Here are his stats through 14 games of the OTE season.
- 16.2 PPG, 5.7 APG, 6.0 RPG, 2.3 SPG, 0.9 BPG, 3.3 TOPG
- 53.5 FG%, 23.1 3P%, 65.6 FT%
Amen Thompson Breakdown
Amen Thompson is freaking insane 🤯 pic.twitter.com/VbmykCMEwh
— Overtime (@overtime) December 23, 2022
Thompson is a top-tier athlete and if he were in the league, he would likely be a top 1% kind of athlete. That is how explosive, bouncy, and quick he is. He has an unreal first step and uses that to get by just about everyone who guards him. He has a tight handle on the ball and is always looking for teammates on drives. He’s almost too unselfish at times, but when he does get to the rim you can expect some thunder.
The biggest knock on Thompson so far in his young career has been his shooting. He’s consistently good inside the paint — thanks to his ability to get above the rim and his close-range touch — but is considerably worse once he steps outside of it. He has been working on it and he knows it’s a point of emphasis heading into the league. He has mechanical issues to get over and at times, it looks like he has to think about how to shoot it. If he can smooth out the jumper a bit, the shots should start to fall.
Amen has the chance to be an exceptional defender, but he has to stay down in a stance more often. He can get caught standing too tall or straight up and that’s how ball handlers get by him. Usually, he can make up for some of this with his ability to get off the floor quickly and block shots at the rim. His athleticism and potential (at age 20 when he’s drafted) will be what likely lands him in the top 5 of this NBA Draft.
