Amen Thompson lifting off for Rockets

Amen Thompson was drafted fourth in the 2023 NBA Draft and has proved to be a significant part of Houston’s rebuild.

The Rockets selected Amen Thompson No. 4 overall in the 2023 NBA Draft and expected him to be a key piece of their rebuild. The timeline for the Rockets’ rebuild has accelerated greatly and so has Thompson’s development into the player they envisioned back in June 2023. The second-year wing has carved out a significant role for a Rockets team that finds itself second in the Western Conference standings as of Jan. 15 – a massive jump from the 19-20 record and 11th-place seeding a year ago on this date.

Thompson had an encouraging rookie season as he averaged 9.5 points on 53.6 percent shooting to go with 6.6 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game over 22.4 minutes. This year, his production has increased (12.6 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 1.2 STL), but still undersells the impact that Thompson is making, especially of late.

Thompson started just two of the Rockets’ first 24 games and was effective overall in that span with 11.9 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. However, Thompson has started seven of Houston’s last eight games and turned in some loud performances over that stretch. He has five double-doubles in that stretch, averaging 15.6 PPG, 11.0 RPG and he’s shooting 56.8 percent from the floor.

What Thompson is doing this season stands out among his fellow 2023 Draft classmates. Thompson checks in with 3.8 win shares, leading all second-year players, including even Victor Wembanyama. The Spurs’ star ranks third in that metric and is having a standout campaign of his own, so this goes to show the impact Thompson is having. Thompson ranks fourth in Player Impact Estimate among second-year players as well.

The Rockets have won four straight since Thompson’s return from a two-game absence on Jan.5, including back-to-back wins over the Grizzlies to further entrench them in the No.2 spot in the West.  He is getting it done on both ends of the floor and his explosive athleticism makes the Rockets even tougher to deal with – especially when teams already have to account for that element of Jalen Green’s game.

The Rockets are exceeding expectations this season and Thompson is following that theme by having an ascendant sophomore campaign.