The 2023 NBA Draft featured something unique in its top five. Twins Amen and Ausar Thompson were both selected, with Amen landing with the Houston Rockets at No. 4 and Ausar being selected by the Detroit Pistons at No. 5.
What a special moment it had to have been for them and their family to watch their names come off the board with consecutive picks within the top five. As two of the most highly rated prospects in this year’s draft class, both Thompsons will be counted on to be integral parts of their teams moving into the future.
During their rookie seasons, both have already shown that they can be impactful. Long and athletic, Amen and Ausar are already excellent defenders, something players normally take time adjusting to in the NBA.
In 36 games with the Rockets, Amen is averaging 8.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 19.4 minutes per game. He has seen his role increase in recent weeks as Rockets head coach Ime Udoka has shuffled the lineup a little bit looking to find more success on the court.
Ausar began the season in the starting lineup for the Pistons and has received more playing time than his brother to this point. He has appeared in 55 games, nearly doubling the minutes played by Amen with the Rockets. In those 55 games, Ausar is averaging 8.7 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 24.2 minutes per game.
Both of them have showcased elite instincts on the defensive end of the court. According to NBA University on X, they are both in the 90+ percentile among guards in steals and deflections per 100 possessions, block rate and rebound chance percentage.
They are doing a lot to impact a winning culture for their team on the court. However, all of the positive work they do on that end is undone by their inefficiency on offense. Both are struggling mightily shooting the ball, as Amen is making 17.1 percent of his 3-pointers and Ausar is making 15.1.
As shared by NBA University, the Thompson twins have combined to attempt 58 corner 3-pointers this season. They have made only nine of them, for 15.5 percent, recording nearly as many air balls with eight.
Those shooting numbers are going to rank among the worst in NBA history for guards, as they are each attempting more than 1.0 3-pointers per game. It is an interesting dynamic to see unfold as both Amen and Ausar bring positives to the table, but their shooting is a major obstacle currently.
Expect them to work tirelessly on improving their jump shots once the NBA offseason rolls around. It is hard to envision much of an improvement coming in the season, as both players struggle from the free-throw line as well. That is usually a good indicator if a player is capable of improving their 3-point percentage, but Amen has made only 63.2 percent from the charity stripe and Ausar is at 60.4.
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