Detroit Pistons draft: Is Amen or Ausar Thompson the better fit?

Detroit Pistons draft: The case for Amen Thompson over brother Ausar

Amen Thompson is a better playmaker than his brother, which you’d expect given their respective positions. The fact is, they’re each exceptional athletes capable of getting numbers, but Amen has been getting props for his ability to distribute the basketball for awhile now. Some of that is attributed to his elite ball-handling, and while he may not be Isiah Thomas or Kyrie Irving in that regard, he still has the rock on a string. His playmaking is said to come naturally, ala another set of brothers in Lonzo and LaMelo Ball. The comparisons don’t stop there either, at least with Lonzo, as Amen’s outside shooting – and even his shooting form – are concerning.

Amen knocked down a quarter of his 2.7 3-point attempts per game, and that’s tough to swallow from a would-be combo guard even if he ultimately spends the majority of his time at the point. Before you brush that off and chalk it up to youth, be aware that he barely knocked down 50 percent of his free-throw attempts. There is definitely work to be done with his shot, and that’s disconcerting when you’re talking about using up draft collateral the likes of the 4th overall pick.

On the other end of the court, there are no real questions. At 6-foot-7 and a shade over 200 pounds, Amen is firmly in the skinny athlete who needs to do some bulking up category, but as a perimeter player he should be able to get by from day one.

Amen profiles as a boom-or-bust prospect, whose game is more likely to lend itself to stardom than quality role player. The ceiling is high, the floor could well be – out of the league. As he is a backcourt player, it’s also tough to see where he fits on a roster that has both Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey. But some would make room for Scoot Henderson given the opportunity to in a similar dilemma, presumably by parting with Ivey. Would it not be, arguably, worth doing so for Amen, as well? If Amen projects as the better fit alongside Cade than Ivey is, and if he’s also viewed as having a higher ceiling than Ivey does, than you have probably made your case for selecting Amen over Ausar, and continuing to swing for the superstar fences as Troy Weaver has done from day one.