6. Ausar Thompson, Overtime Elite
His brother Amen may be the more heralded prospect, but Ausar Thompson is a better fit for Portland.
O’Connor sees Shaun Livingston with elite athleticism, but Ausar could easily be Lonzo Ball with elite athleticism because of his potential as an All-NBA defender.
Similar to his brother, Ausar is nearly impossible to stay in front of when he gets moving, and it doesn’t take much for him to go from standing still to a controlled blaze.
He keeps the ball moving offensively. He’s shown more improvement as a shooter than Amen, but he still has a long way to go.
The most attractive part of Ausar’s game for the Blazers, though, is his defense. It hasn’t been much of a challenge for him to guard 1 through 4 to this point in his career, albeit against low-level competition. He’s not only fast, he’s quick, long, battles through screens, and is a terrific off-ball defender who can fly in from off camera to swat shots at the rim.
Amen might be the more talented offensive prospect, but Ausar looks like a future elite wing defender, which would pair nice with Shaedon Sharpe and Jerami Grant, theoretically.