Thompson Twins NBA Draft: Why That 2023 Moment Still Hits Different

You remember where you were when the 2023 NBA draft order started shaking out? It wasn't just the Victor Wembanyama show. While everyone was busy measuring Wemby’s wingspan for the thousandth time, something historically weird and kind of beautiful happened at picks four and five.

Amen and Ausar Thompson.

Back-to-back.

Most siblings can’t even agree on what to have for dinner, but these two managed to become the first brothers ever selected in the top five of the same NBA draft. One minute apart in birth, one pick apart in the pros. It’s the kind of stuff scriptwriters reject for being too "on the nose."

The Thompson Twins NBA Draft Gamble

Honestly, the lead-up to that night was polarizing. If you spent any time on Draft Twitter or Reddit back then, you knew the Thompson twins were the ultimate "eye of the beholder" prospects.

They didn't take the local route. No Duke, no Kentucky, not even the G League Ignite path that Scoot Henderson took. They chose Overtime Elite (OTE), an Atlanta-based startup league that basically felt like a basketball laboratory.

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Scouts were genuinely terrified. Why? Because the twins were 20-year-olds playing against 16 and 17-year-olds. It’s hard to tell if a kid is a generational superstar or just a grown man bullying teenagers. When Amen was flying through the air for the City Reapers, was he a future All-NBA guard or just an athlete who hadn't met a real defender yet?

The Houston Rockets didn't care. They saw Amen at No. 4 and pulled the trigger. The Detroit Pistons followed suit at No. 5 with Ausar.

Breaking Down the "Different" Twin

People always ask: "Which one is better?" It’s a lazy question, but we all do it.

Amen Thompson was always the "point guard in a 6'7" frame." He’s got this weird, twitchy athleticism where he gets from the three-point line to the rim in what feels like half a step. His vision is high-level. He sees passes that other guys don't even think are legal.

Then you have Ausar. He’s arguably the more "polished" basketball player in terms of traditional wing duties. He was the OTE MVP. He’s a defensive menace who actually enjoys sliding his feet and ruining some veteran's night.

But they both had the same "glaring red flag."

The Jump Shot.

It was broken. There’s no nice way to put it. In 2023, Amen shot roughly 25% from three in OTE. You can’t survive in the modern NBA shooting like that unless you’re Ben Simmons, and even then, look how that turned out. The 2023 Thompson twins NBA draft story was essentially a bet on whether professional shooting coaches could fix what a decade of prep ball couldn't.

The Overtime Elite Factor

You’ve got to give the twins credit—they were the first real test case for OTE. Before them, the league was just a flashy Instagram account with high-production dunks.

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By going 4 and 5, Amen and Ausar validated the entire program. They proved you could skip the NCAA circus and still get the bag. Their parents, Troy and Maya, even gave them the middle name "XLNC"—pronounced "excellence." Talk about pressure.

But it worked.

They shared an apartment in Atlanta, shared a pair of headphones (one earbud each, seriously), and pushed each other until they were top-five locks. That level of codependency is usually a red flag in prospects, but with the Thompsons, it felt like a superpower.

Why the 2023 Draft Order Matters Now

Looking back from 2026, that draft night feels like a turning point for how teams evaluate "tools" versus "production."

Amen has already notched an NBA All-Defensive First Team nod (2025). His rebounding for a guard is borderline offensive. He’s currently averaging about 18 points and 8 rebounds for a Rockets team that finally looks like it knows what it's doing.

Ausar, meanwhile, has become the ultimate "Swiss Army Knife" in Detroit. He doesn't need to score 30 to win a game. He just needs to guard the other team's best player and fly in for three offensive rebounds a quarter.

The shooting is... getting there. It’s not Steph Curry territory, but they aren't being dared to shoot anymore.

What We Get Wrong About Their Path

The biggest misconception about the Thompson twins NBA draft journey is that OTE was "easy."

Sure, the competition was younger. But the twins were training in a pro facility with NBA-level resources for two years while college kids were walking to class and dealing with NIL deals. They were treated like professionals at 18.

They also had a massive chip on their shoulders. They weren't the highest-ranked recruits coming out of Pine Crest in Florida. They had to build their "lottery" buzz from scratch by dominating every workout and showing teams that their athleticism wasn't just "good for high school"—it was "top 1% of the world."

Actionable Takeaways for Following the Twins

If you're tracking their progress or looking at how their draft status translates to your fantasy league or just general fandom, keep these three things in mind:

• Watch the "Stocks": For both brothers, their value is tied to Steals and Blocks (Stocks). They are elite at using their length to disrupt passing lanes.
• The 30% Threshold: If Amen or Ausar hits 30% or higher from three over a 20-game stretch, the league is basically in trouble. That’s the swing factor.
• The Assist-to-Turnover Ratio: Amen is the primary creator. When he keeps his turnovers under 3 per game, Houston wins. It’s that simple.

The 2023 draft was a historical anomaly. We might not see another pair of twins go back-to-back in the top five for another fifty years. But more than the history, it was the start of two very different careers that are finally starting to converge into stardom.

Keep an eye on the box scores for Houston and Detroit. The "twins" era of the NBA is just getting started, and honestly, it's lived up to the hype.