Ausar Thompson doesn’t need a 3-point breakout to close the gap with his twin. The bigger issue is much simpler: he has to finish better when he gets inside.
Amen Thompson and Ausar came into the NBA with different reputations, and that has carried over. Amen was billed as the stronger offensive prospect, while Ausar arrived as the better defender.
So far, the league has mostly seen that split play out. Amen averaged over 18 points per game last season, while Ausar led the league in steals and earned first team All-Defense.
Both brothers bring elite athleticism and strong defense, but Amen has been the more polished scorer and creator. For Ausar, that means the next step is not just handling the ball better. It also means making more of the shots he already gets.
The three-point line is not the place to focus. Ausar actually shot a bit better than Amen from deep, but that still meant just 25 percent for Ausar and 21 percent for Amen. Either way, neither brother was making enough from outside to make that part of the conversation a priority.
The real separation shows up closer to the basket.
Amen shot 68.3 percent on attempts under five feet last season, a strong number that put him in good company. Jalen Duren was only slightly better, and he was one of the league’s most efficient players from the dunker spot.
Ausar checked in at 65 percent on those same looks. That’s respectable, but it leaves room for more, especially because he sometimes gets a little too fancy at the rim instead of just powering through.
The bigger problem is in the 5-9 foot range, where Amen was still effective. He made 47.8 percent of those shots, which is a solid mark for a perimeter player.
That’s the kind of zone where top scorers can punish defenses, with names like Nikola Jokic, Jaren Jackson Jr., Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson standing out there. Cade Cunningham, by contrast, hit just 39 percent there last season.
Ausar was nowhere near that level. He made only 32 percent of his shots from 5-9 feet, even though he can get to that area almost whenever he wants. When he rises into those pull-ups, it’s a tough look for the defense - but it only matters if the ball starts going in more often.
That’s the path for Ausar: attack the rim harder, clean up the finishes, and turn those short-range opportunities into points. He doesn’t need to become a three-point shooter to do it.
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