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Projecting Amen and Ausar Thompson in the NBA Draft: Best fit and upside as NBA guards

A lot has been said about the big three in the 2023 NBA Draft class: Victor Wembanyama is the clear-cut No. 1 pick, closely followed by G League Ignite guard Scoot Henderson and Alabama wing Brandon Miller. Quietly lurking in the shadows of those three top prospects are twins Amen and Ausar Thompson from Overtime Elite. The 6-foot-7 duo took a chance on a new opportunity and chose their own path to the NBA, becoming a few of the first players to sign with OTE in 2021 for its inaugural season. Since then, the OTE Arena in Atlanta has become a must-stop for NBA scouts and executives as the twins continued to work on their game.

Amen excels as a primary ball-handler, playing point guard his entire career, while Ausar is more of a combo guard who has played off the ball alongside his twin brother. During high school basketball, when the pair were playing for Pine Crest High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, both players made up one of the most electric backcourts in high school basketball and carried that to OTE. That year, the duo led Pine Crest to a state championship — Amen finished with 43 points and 13 rebounds in the double-overtime win — and both were named Broward County Co-Player of the Year.

"That was probably one of the best games I've ever seen Amen play and I've seen him play a lot of games," Ausar told Yahoo Sports. "I fouled out and he just got this look in his eye like he was going to take over the game and that's exactly what he did. It was crazy."

This past season at OTE, Amen and Ausar teamed up one last time. Ausar was instrumental in the pair winning the OTE championship, hitting the winner in Game 3 and walking away with MVP honors.

"I'm glad we had the opportunity to play together one last time before we hit the league," Amen said. "He makes me a better player whether that's just in practice or even in games with the cuts he makes, it makes me a better passer."

Both Amen and Ausar are projected toward the top of the lottery and are thought to be in second tier under Wembanyama, Henderson and Miller. The pair recently worked out for the Portland Trail Blazers, who have the No. 3 pick, and Ausar showcased an improved jump shot. Throughout the pre-draft process, Amen has been considered the better prospect because of his playmaking ability and how he projects as a primary ball-handler in the NBA, but don't be surprised if it's Ausar's name called first on June 22.

"Ausar is a player you can plug alongside other playmakers on the wing and he can still be impactful," one NBA scout told Yahoo Sports. "What he brings defensively plus his upside as a complementary piece on the perimeter is valuable."

If Detroit keeps its pick at No. 5 and Villanova guard Cam Whitmore is off the board, Ausar would be a better fit alongside Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey. Ausar would also be a good pickup for the Washington Wizards (in the backcourt with Bradley Beal) at No. 8 and would be a steal for the Utah Jazz and their rebuild process at No. 9.

For Amen, he could go as high as No. 3 to the Trail Blazers and learn from a veteran player like Damian Lillard or the Rockets could take him at No. 4 and possibly place him alongside James Harden, who is rumored to be interested in returning to Houston.

It's unlikely the pair will fall outside of the top 10, which would make them the highest-drafted pair of twins or brothers in NBA Draft history.

With all the attention focused on Wembanyama and what he projects at the next level, the Thompson twins are quietly waiting to find out where they land and are ready to get to work and help improve the team, whatever situation they're in.

"Me, honestly, I'm not worried about where I'm drafted whether that's [pick] one, 10, 60, I have to come out the same way and just compete every day and do the same thing I always do," Ausar said.

Amen added, "Just like what he said. Draft night isn't the end goal. I'm just ready to go out and compete and I show everyone what I can do."