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SportsTranscript
00:00 [MUSIC]
00:03 >> Blessing, it's a dream I had since I was young.
00:06 And it's just the beginning of the dream, and I feel like he feels the same.
00:10 I'm super excited, I feel super excited.
00:12 I'm just excited for the process in general.
00:15 >> I'm in.
00:17 >> [APPLAUSE]
00:20 >> He hit it, he hit it.
00:24 >> If you had to create a foundation for building a perfect NBA player in 2023,
00:31 he'd probably be 6'7 plus like LeBron or Luka.
00:35 Have insane core vision to be able to find the open man like Jokic.
00:40 Handles like Steph and ability to hit from deep.
00:44 You know he'd be locked down on defense with explosive bounce to be
00:49 able to play above the rim on offense and on defense.
00:54 What if I told you your player of the future already exists?
00:58 And there's already two of them.
01:01 >> There you go.
01:02 >> [APPLAUSE]
01:04 [MUSIC]
01:13 >> We've seen brothers come through and shake up the league before, but
01:17 never like this.
01:19 You might have seen their viral highlights that impressed
01:23 Steph Curry and Paul George.
01:25 >> Watching the twins play, obviously they're gifted, they really stand out.
01:30 >> Shit, god damn it.
01:31 >> Watching the person, it's a different animal.
01:33 >> You guys gonna get the fourth pick?
01:34 >> There we go, that's perfect.
01:35 With that said, number four, who you think y'all gonna get?
01:38 Who the Rockets want?
01:40 >> I don't know who we gonna get, but I wouldn't mind the Thompson twin.
01:46 He's solid.
01:47 I wouldn't mind that at all.
01:48 >> Yeah, he's real solid.
01:49 >> Yeah, solid.
01:50 >> I mean, we're gonna see what happens.
01:52 >> But let me introduce you to twin turbo, Amen and Asar Thompson.
01:58 These six seven do it all guards from Oakland are locked for
02:02 the top ten in this year's NBA draft,
02:05 with some experts having them go as high as fourth overall.
02:10 We're gonna go beyond the buzzer with our analysis, talking background,
02:15 strengths, weaknesses, and of course, that X factor that makes them special
02:21 to find out how good Amen and Asar can really be in the NBA.
02:26 Stick with me and I'm going to explain why these twins are NBA coaches dream and
02:32 how landing just one of them can change your franchise immediately.
02:36 We're breaking down this loaded draft class.
02:39 So make sure you subscribe and
02:41 never miss an upload of fire hoops content here on diamonds.
02:45 We all know the Thompson twins made history deciding to skip their senior year
02:50 of high school and college to turn pro and
02:53 signed to overtime a lead at just 18 years old.
02:57 They are now maybe the most NBA ready prospects in the draft because their
03:02 paths to pros has been unlike anything we've seen.
03:07 Amen and Asar Thompson were born in 2003 in San Leandro,
03:12 California to a family of hoopers and athletes.
03:16 Their big bro played college ball at Prairie View A&M.
03:20 Their uncle Mark was an Olympic sprinter for team Jamaica.
03:24 Since first picking up the rock at age seven, it didn't take long to recognize
03:30 the Thompson twins were going to have a chance to be something special.
03:35 Their love of the game was just different.
03:38 Pops had the boys create a dream board at nine years old of what they wanted to be
03:43 growing up and both boys said the greatest NBA player of all time.
03:49 And to grow to be 6'9" like their favorite player at the time, LeBron James.
03:54 It's been mission focused since then.
03:57 Amen and Asar were actually homeschooled in grade six and
04:01 seven to focus on basketball.
04:04 They first broke out on the scene as a talented eighth grade duo that was
04:08 starting varsity down in Florida for Pinecrest School.
04:12 And that high school comp in Florida was no joke either.
04:17 They had some crazy battles with the likes of Zaire Wade,
04:21 Vernon Carey and Scotty Barnes.
04:24 By their freshman year, Amen and Asar had already sprouted to 6'4",
04:29 dominating in their age group and outshining older D1 bounds competition often.
04:36 Their elite skill set started to emerge as well as the individual tendencies
04:41 that allowed each twin to perfectly complement the other.
04:45 Amen would play the point guard, handles and vision getting better by the day,
04:50 often making passes and pro reads far beyond his age,
04:54 like a young player by the name of Lonzo Ball.
04:58 Amen liked to get up and pressure full court, his long arms making it easy for
05:03 him to play the passing lanes, swat shots, grab boards and
05:07 with the new growth spurred even throw down dunks.
05:10 Asar might be even better.
05:12 Gifted with explosiveness on the first step, Asar is a one move and
05:18 go type of player.
05:19 Tight handles and a great bag of finishes at the rim.
05:23 If Amen was the setup man, Asar was the finisher.
05:27 Amen and Asar absolutely scorched the travel circuit wherever they went.
05:32 They played so well off each other that they were now in the conversation for
05:36 the best backcourt in the country and
05:39 some of the best prospects available regardless of class.
05:44 Too much size, too much speed, versatility to do whatever the team
05:49 needs to get the W at the high level.
05:52 Before their junior season, the twins had racked up offers from major D1s,
05:57 Alabama, Arizona, Auburn, Arizona State and Kansas.
06:03 Now ahead of their junior season for the first time, Amen and
06:07 Asar are drawing NBA comparisons and seeing their name appear on draft boards.
06:13 As juniors in high school for Pinecrest, Twin Turbo made one of the most impressive
06:18 and legendary runs in Florida high school history.
06:22 Asar Thompson filled up the stat sheet averaging 22 points,
06:27 seven rebounds, three assists per game, easily in all state selection.
06:32 His bro was going crazy too.
06:35 Amen averaged 20 points, eight boards and four assists per game as a junior,
06:41 leading his team to the class 4A state championship in a 90-83
06:47 double overtime win over Santa Fe High School.
06:50 In the title game, Thompson scored 43 points and helped Pinecrest and
06:55 pulled a Tracy McGrady to overcome an eight point deficit
07:00 with 45 seconds left in overtime.
07:03 Let the church say amen.
07:05 It was only right, a men's shared Broward County class 5A 1A
07:10 co-player of the year honors from the Sun Centennial with Asar.
07:15 Let's take a deeper look at the strength of a men Thompson at the next level.
07:20 A man has great size for a point guard at 6 foot 7,
07:25 a crazy quick first step and explosive athleticism.
07:29 Of the big guards his size or taller,
07:31 he has to be among the quickest for creating a mismatch and attacking closeouts.
07:37 He also has a high level feel for the game and is a great passer.
07:42 I can't hype up the twins intelligence enough.
07:45 These were top performers in the classroom and that diligence has carried over to
07:50 the court in high school and will in the NBA rings.
07:54 A man does sometimes try to do too much off the dribble but
07:58 plays an unselfish game and loves to find teammates.
08:02 For all his ball skills and passing ability,
08:05 the thing that stands out most about a man is his ability to fly through the air
08:09 effortlessly and play with his head at the rim.
08:12 He's got long arms and balance and it could look like he's playing up on a 9 foot hoop.
08:18 Literally. He also has tight handles and can break down defenders with the dribble
08:23 using his quick first step to get in the lane.
08:26 He has a lot of room for improvement as a jump shooter
08:30 and his outside wing skill will determine if he's an elite NBA player or just a solid NBA player.
08:37 Y'all know to play the one in the NBA,
08:39 you have to be able to become a mistake-free facilitator.
08:43 Otherwise, you fall into the Westbrook and John Wall high-risk high-reward category,
08:48 which some teams like and some story teams like the Spurs and Celtics would never go for.
08:55 His three-point shooting is a work in progress and he struggles from the free throw line.
09:00 Amen Thompson's lead projection is an elite two-way star, maybe even an all-star ceiling.
09:07 His game now most resembles Andrew Wiggins with better vision,
09:11 but if he can continue to improve don't be surprised
09:14 if we hear his name mentioned among the DeMar DeRozans,
09:18 Chris Middleton's, Jimmy Butler's of the NBA.
09:21 His world-class length and athleticism will allow him to make plays other players lacking that just can't.
09:29 Asar Thompson is a human jetpack, an elite above-the-rim player who is an absolute freak of an athlete.
09:36 A long-arm 6'7", he makes the game look effortless.
09:41 Asar is super quick off the floor with first and second efforts on rebounds.
09:46 He's also a skilled ball handler with elite bursts to the rim.
09:51 He's a creative finisher who can score with either hand
09:54 and can hang in the air for creative layups and showtime dunks.
09:59 Like his twin brother Amen, Asar shows promise as an outside shooter,
10:03 but this is not yet the strength of his game.
10:06 He's got a decent looking shot, but needs to hit with better consistency
10:10 and has a few things to clean up mechanically before he's trusted.
10:15 These are things we say about every rookie.
10:17 This guy eats and breathes the game so NBA shooting coaches will do him wonders
10:22 and he should really develop and get consistent as a shooter over the next few years.
10:28 While he might not be as talented of a passer as his brother,
10:32 he's a willing passer who sees the floor pretty well
10:35 and knows how to draw the defense and find the open man.
10:39 Has a lot of upside as a defender, reads passing lanes well
10:43 and gives good weak side help, especially for blocks.
10:47 He has a decent mid-range game, which should develop in time
10:51 and become a real weapon for him.
10:53 Asar is one of the best 3 and D prospects in this draft.
10:57 His foundation for greatness alone should be a canvas for any great coach
11:02 to mold into a 10+ year professional and contributor to a championship roster.
11:08 He's been compared to players like Zach LaVine
11:10 and even ultra bouncy shooting guards of yesteryear,
11:14 Vince Carter and Jason Richardson.
11:17 If he doesn't improve as projected and is content just making it to the big show,
11:22 he'd still be a Dorian Finney-Smith or KCP type of defender
11:27 and an asset to a team.
11:29 An easy choice for the top 10 of this year's draft.
11:32 And if you were gonna take a flyer and scoop him before 7,
11:36 you could do a lot worse than a player that could handle like this and sky like that.
11:41 Sheesh!
11:43 You're all up to date on our full breakdown of the Thompson Twins.
11:47 Who should we cover next?
11:49 Make sure you leave a like, comment if you agree or disagree with our analysis
11:54 and subscribe if you need to see which diamond-tested players
11:58 are going to transform your favorite franchise.
12:01 It's been real.
12:02 [Music]