Year 3 is often a turning point for NBA prospects.

As rookie deals near their end, teams usually have a clear read on a player’s ceiling — and whether or not he’s worth building around. It’s also when many take the leap and make it clear they’re stars. In their third seasons, LeBron James and Anthony Davis made their first playoff appearances, while Kevin Durant and Anthony Edwards earned their first All-Star nods.

As the members of the 2023 draft class enter their third year, No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama already looks like a surefire first-ballot Hall of Famer. 

The Thompson twins—Amen and Ausar—look poised to follow a similar path to stardom. 

They were picked fourth and fifth, respectively, behind Wembanyama, Brandon Miller, and Scoot Henderson, but it is beginning to look like they could be the second and third best prospects of their class.

Amen is already a major piece for the Houston Rockets, and his development likely factored into their decision to accelerate the timeline with the recent trade that brought in Durant. The game has clearly slowed down for him; he applies constant pressure on both ends of the floor and has made better reads with each passing game. He is as versatile as they come and has shown that he can capably play practically any position outside of center.

Houston dealt with a myriad of injuries last season which gave Amen the opportunity to play major minutes for them. Eventually, he was too good to ignore and wound up becoming a full time starter for them by the end of the season. He was second on the team in terms of +/- in ‘24-’25, highlighting his impact for the Rockets who finished with the second seed in the West. 

Meanwhile, Ausar’s sophomore campaign got off to a rough start as a blood clot kept him sidelined for the first 18 games of the Detroit Pistons’ season. He eventually made his debut in late November and though he got off to a slow start initially, he eventually found his groove by February. Ausar became a fixture in the Pistons’ best line-ups and it looks like he has a starting forward spot locked down with the team for the foreseeable future.

Ausar’s second season might not have gone as well as Amen’s, but as this young Detroit team grows together, he should get a better understanding of his role and eventually thrive as well.

Both players do need to improve on their shooting to get to the next level, particularly their three-point and free throw shooting. Amen hit only 27.5% of his threes and shot 68.4% on free throws last season while Ausar made threes at a 22.4% clip and converted only 64.1% of his free throws. This is the most glaring weakness for both players and what may ultimately hinder them from becoming full fledged superstars in the NBA. 

If they can start hitting at least 35% of their threes and 75% of their free throws, they should have no problem carving out a role as major contributors on winning teams and several All-Star appearances could be in the cards for them too.

Year 3 will be a crucial one for the Thompson twins. Amen already looks ready for prime time and Ausar isn’t too far behind. If they can clean up their shooting and maintain their seemingly endless energy, the path from promising prospect to NBA All-Star becomes clearer than ever for them. If they can do this, the leap will not be a subtle one—Amen and Ausar Thompson will become household names with the ability to be just as good as the greatest do-it-all players in basketball history.