Amen Thompson has undeniably established himself as a two-way force in less than three full seasons with the Houston Rockets. The scouting report on him in 2023 was that he’d be a project — a label that seemed
fair at the time for a player who skipped college and the international circuit for the Overtime Elite, a league that pales in comparison to both.
Even the G-League would’ve been more competitive (as long as it’s not the G-League Ignite, which was clearly not a good program).
Thompson was immediately moved to the wing, allowing him to take advantage of his freak athleticism and putting him closer to the basket and away from the perimeter.
Defensively, he proved capable of manning the fort against…..virtually anyone. And any position.
This season, when Fred VanVleet went down for the year with his ACL injury, Thompson figured to take on the lion share of the Rockets’ point guard duties, although it was clear that Rockets coach Ime Udoka was going to employ the committee approach, which has been effective, as the Rockets have the league’s top-ranked offensive attack (even if people do think that’ll eventually change).
Yet and still, Thompson has taken on a bigger role. His usage rate is up to 23.3 percent this season, whereas last year it was 17.5 percent.
His scoring is also up, to the tune of 18.6 points on 14.9 shots, while he’s also averaging 50 percent from the field, 6.4 rebounds, 5.7 assists, one steal and .3 blocks per contest.
He’s been sensational of late, dropping 28 points against the Memphis Grizzlies, in addition to 10 rebounds (four offensive), seven assists, and two steals.
In the previous game against the Dallas Mavericks, Thompson was too much for the Mavs, dropping 27 points (which helped offset an unusually off night for Kevin Durant), five rebounds, four assists, and two stocks.
He was also efficient in that game, with marks of 64 percent true shooting.
It’s pretty easy to see that Thompson is morphing into a star. Even ESPN’s Kevin Pelton has him tabbed to make his All-Star debut this season (although it’s too early to start putting together All-Star teams).
At least, if you’re actually watching the Rockets.
Clearly, not everyone is watching.
I stumbled upon a piece from FanSided’s Julian Fadullon and was left….speechless.
The NBA writer was concocting his prediction for Most Improved Player and was making an argument that Thompson (and his brother Ausar) won’t be in consideration for the award.
Which is fine.
However, he took things a bit too far. Take a look for yourself.
“Amen does not look like he’s ready to take the leap just yet, even with Fred VanVleet out for the season.”
Doesn’t look like he’s ready to take a leap? Has he not already done that (thus far)?
Even if one wanted to state that it’s too early to note whether he’s ready, that would’ve been a better argument. But he does *look* like he’s ready to ascend.
ESPECIALLY without VanVleet.
His rim pressure has been astounding. Dude is shooting 81 percent at the rim (yes, you read that right).
And he’s more than just a freak athlete. He has freakish body control and he’s driving with confidence.
His archetype is that of a two-way slashing playmaker, which encompasses several.
It feels bad to tear down a fellow content creator, but if it’s warranted (like in this case), there’s really no other choice.
