It's no surprise part of the reason Amen was taken high is because of the success of Ben Simmons in the NBA, before the Atlanta series anyway. I don't watch a lot of non-Rox teams but IIRC Simmons was the favorite for ROY and everybody loved him for his playmaking and athleticism and defense, all traits which Amen also possess. So how far do you think is the gap between Amen and Simmons? Or is it just Amen is getting limited in our team due to JG and FVV being starters and if Amen got 30 mpg he'd be pretty close to rookie Ben Simmons? Just my opinion but if this was 2021 all over again and Amen and Sengun were our first pieces Amen would get all the mpg he can handle and everybody would be hyped AF about him.
Amen is a better shooter (because he is willing to take them) Amen is a more capable point of attack defender. Apart from that, Big Ben was pretty awesome early on. If he was willing to actually send the ball towards the hoop then I think he might have had a more impressive career. That, and 3 inches of height, might be the major differences?
Kind of tough to say since Ben Simmons was given higher minutes and usage right off the bat, whereas Amen has been asked to ease his way in slowly and just contribute where he can. Simmons is taller than Amen and I think he came into the league a little more polished on some of his basketball skills. On the other hand, I think Amen is an even better athlete. Most important thing is Amen doesn't seem to have the mental issues or back problems to slow him down.
Simmons the prospect was a 6’10 super athletic defensive playmaker with ball handling skills. Much much better prospect than Thompson.
I don't think most folks quite understand how talented Amen Thompson is. He makes other talented guys look far less talented. He reminds me some of when Hakeem came out of UH. Raw, but good lord, If the skills start showing up, watch out.
In comparing their rookie stats, Simmons played much more (33.7 mpg to Amen's 19.7), but the per 36 and per 100 possessions, show Amen possibly, could end up a better defender and that's huge considering BS was All NBA 1st team on defense. The future is definitely bright for him. If he can start hitting more 3's like the one he dropped last night, ! It's worth checking out. https://stathead.com/basketball/ver...layer_id2=simmobe01&p2yrfrom=2018&p2yrto=2018
Well Ben Simmons standing reach is 9’0.5”, Amen is 8’7”.. so there’s your gap.. *don’t know how much that different is, my country use metric measurement..
About 8 centimeters. I ran the same comparison for this year when I read the post and Amen comes out ahead pretty much everywhere except assists. If Amen keeps working on his shot, the sky is the limit. I like that even though Amen is awful from 3, he’s still willing to take it when it’s the right shot. Simmons would never have even tried. He’s basically just given up on shooting (he is 40% FT).
Amen is more athletic than Ben Simmons was in his first year. And I doubt Ben Simmons is really 6’10. I bet he’s not that much taller than Amen if they stood next to each other. He was listed (unofficially) at the combine as 6’8.
I really don't think Amen and Ben Simmons are comparable as athletes. Ben's "athleticism" comes from his fluidity, whereas Amen is far more explosive...not to mention that Ben Simmons never seemed to jump that high, whereas Amen can jump out of the building.
I am excited about amen AF. an 18 year old getting 5 blocks, disturbing the ball all the time, staying in front of his guy, these are not normal things. And he is not a liability on offense despite lack of shooting. He can finish inside, has good vision, knows to move. He is easily a championship piece. He is more like kawhi leonard than ben simmons.
Too wide. Healhy Ben is a franchise player. Had better handles, better athleticism, better court vision.
Ben Simmons can't get on the court. They're looking for alternative treatment for his back now. So whatever the gap, Simmons is behind Amen. Brett Brown did a lot to make Simmons look good during those years. It wasn't sustainable. While Embid wasn't what he is now, that duo couldn't make it far in the playoffs. Those Simmons peak years fooled a lot people. Including 70 PG threads where half of us begged not to trade Harden for. If people paid attention, we saw this coming even before his playoff incident. Sean Marks getting clowned now for his off load of Harden to take Ben Simmons. The foresight on Simmons from half of ClutchFans was 20/20. I get this is hypothetical skill compare, but if you guys actually like Amen, choose a different person. Ben Simmons is icky.
A much better question is how big is the gap between Amen and Kawhi Leonard? Or even Dejounte Murray? Forget Ben Simmons.
I would challenge the athleticism part of that--Amen is more athletic in every facet than Simmons except maybe raw strength. Unsure on the court vision--Amen hasn't been given the reins of an offense the way Simmons was, except for the few games Fred went down. Simmons did have better handles. But it's all a moot point because Simmons' psyche and back are both apparently ruined beyond repair.
