Amen and Ausar Thompson, the “Thompson twins”, are among the questions of the next Draft. In 2021, they thus made the choice to join the (paid) “Overtime Elite” program in Atlanta, instead of the NCAA. A program that has allowed the two brothers to now be expected in the Top 10 of the next NBA vintage.
Growing up in Oakland, Amen and Ausar are more of a reserved type. Not one to make waves…
This Tuesday, they both did a “workout” for the Blazers, and they received a surprise visit. It was logically not their idol LeBron James, but indeed Damian Lillard. What all the same mark them since, as a reminder, the leader of the Blazers is also from Oakland, like the twins.
“It was great to see Dame. We are both from Oakland. He’s someone I’ve looked up to since I was young.” enjoyed Amen Thompson. “It was the first time I saw him. It’s super cool to see someone I might be able to play with next year.” added Ausar Thompson.
The NBA will therefore welcome a new pair of twins next season. They would therefore join Brook and Robin Lopez, Marcus and Markieff Morris or even Caleb and Cody Martin.
The only difference is that it is still difficult to identify which of the two is better. They are thus frequently called the “Thompson Twins”, and rarely by their first names, as if they were one. They are even often confused in certain articles or certain photos. However, we will have to get used to differentiating them because barring a miracle, they will not evolve in the same team in the NBA.
Overall, Amen and Ausar Thompson are however not announced in the Top 3, preceded by Victor Wembanyama, Scoot Henderson or Brandon Miller. With their 3rd choice, will the Blazers give it a shot? Or is the franchise testing them for a “trade down” in order to recover an experienced player and a less well placed draft pick, with which Portland could then more logically get their hands on one of the two twins?
“It’s crazy because I’m sitting here and we’re both in the Portland Trail Blazers practice facility, but they’re not going to take us both.” concluded Ausar Thompson. “It’s funny when you think about it, but I tell myself that I just came here to train”.
