OAKLAND – Amen and Ausar Thompson are trailblazers: The 20-year-old twins enter NBA Draft week all but ordained to become the first players ever drafted from the Overtime Elite developmental league. Mock drafts from around the basketball world have projected the brothers from San Leandro as top-10 picks. They aren’t prodigies, though, if longtime Bishop O’Dowd coach and East Bay hoops elder statesman Lou Richie is to be believed.
“I never thought they would be the No. 3 and No. 5 picks in the NBA Draft, not at 11 or 12 years old,” Richie told the Bay Area News Group on Thursday afternoon.
Richie trained the twins as preteens and he raved about their work ethic, a trait he said has remained unchanged even after the two moved to Florida before high school. Because they were not considered top players as children in the Bay Area, he said the two learned how to play within a team construct. The twins are now 6-foot-7 athletes, but their background as scrappy, focused players may be their greatest asset.
“I think they can fit into any system, because they’re used to not being catered to. They might like it, but I think they’re going to be realistic about their abilities,” Richie said. “They’re humble, hardworking kids.
” More NBA: Mike Dunleavy Jr. named Warriors next general manager The Thompson twins moved to Florida with their father Troy Sr. (older brother Troy Jr.
played collegiately at Prairie View A&M) in 2017, and signed with Overtime Elite in 2021. Overtime Elite, often referred to as OTE, is a professional league for 16-20 year-olds who want to pursue a basketball career outside of the traditional high school-to-college route. The added benefit is a reported salary of at least $100,000, though the Thompsons’ figure is unknown.
The Thompsons joined Richie’s former O’Dowd player Jalen Lewis, who left the school after his freshman year in 2021, on the OTE circuit. The O’Dowd coach sees moves like Lewis’ and the Thompson’s as something that is quickly becoming the norm for players with big dreams. “It’s high stakes now,” Richie said earlier this year.
“Now you’re going to have other parents who have seen someone break through that door, and they think their kid can be that good and want to give them that opportunity. ” Because OTE exists specifically to prepare its athletes for pro basketball, the Thompson twins said they are prepared to deal with the draft process and its idiosyncrasies. “I expected a lot of this stuff,” Amen told ‘Through the Wire’ when asked about handling workouts, interviews with teams and media scrutiny.
“At OTE we did a lot of this, but this is next level. ” His brother agreed. “We had a lot of resources, and we had a lot of people who have been at that next level,” Ausar said after working out with the Trail Blazers.
“You know how things should be done. ” Related Articles High School Sports | Football recruiting: Stanford gets commitment from Bay Area’s top prospect High School Sports | College World Series: Stanford baseball’s South Bay stars lead Cardinal into Omaha High School Sports | Former Mitty star Aaron Gordon wins NBA title with HS coach Kennedy by his side High School Sports | Former California AYSO coach convicted of having sex with 14-year-old High School Sports | High school baseball 2023: All-Bay Area News Group team Amen, generally considered the better of the two as prospects, is an adept ball-handler and shows promise as a passer. Ausar plays like a more traditional wing, and has displayed a willingness to attack the basket from the perimeter.
Both need to work on their jump shot, with neither twin shooting over 30 percent from behind the 3-point line. There are doubts about the Thompsons’ ability to adapt to the NBA’s increased size and athleticism. As Jeremy Woo from Sports Illustrated pointed out last year, the quality of competition is questionable for 20-year-olds playing in a startup league against teenagers.
Will the twins be able to succeed in a league where their athleticism and size are merely excellent, rather than overwhelming? Count Richie as a believer in their talents translating. “The one skill they have to improve upon is their shooting, but they can defend and they’re great teammates,” Richie said. “I think, and I hope, they’re going to be really good in the NBA.
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From: mercurynews
URL: https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/06/17/nba-draft-how-the-east-bays-thompson-twins-went-from-overtime-elite-to-the-nba-draft/
