2023 NBA Mock Draft: Spurs land franchise PG, tanking pays off for Pistons

Ausar Thompson began the draft cycle projected quite a bit lower compared to his brother Amen, but over time, he’s gained quite a bit of ground. While Amen served as the City Reapers’ lead guard, Ausar played more often in an off-ball role on offense despite having a somewhat similar style of play.

Comparing the two directly, Ausar has the edge over his brother as a jump shooter, has slightly better handles, and has been able to show more prowess as a cutter. But Amen is the burstier athlete, better at gaining separation against his defender, and is debatably the better playmaker of the two. 

The biggest differentiator between the two twins, though, and why I continue to hold Ausar in (slightly) higher regard compared to his brother, is in their defense. Specifically, despite similar counting stats on that end of the floor, Ausar has shown to be the more disciplined defender when he’s more than one pass away from the ball-handler. Both twins are harassing on-ball defenders, but Ausar loses his man less frequently and has even shown some upside as a weak-side rim protector—a relatively rare attribute for a 6’7” guard/wing.

Even so, I can see either brother being taken off the draft board first, and in this case, Amen is the first one to be picked.