To be a star in the NBA, it’s no longer enough to just be good at basketball. The league is too talented and the player pool is too deep. These days, the best players thrive in novel ways and offer something unique that can’t be replicated. Nobody sees the game like Nikola Jokic or moves like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander; Jalen Brunson isn’t necessarily more skilled than, say, Cam Thomas, but he’s infinitely more effective because he deploys that skill in more interesting ways.
As such, Amen Thompson, the Houston Rockets’ prized oddball wing, is already halfway to stardom.
During his rookie year, Thompson was so productive that the Rockets had no choice but to find space for him. Originally stationed in the G-League hinterlands, he became one of Houston’s most dependable players by the end of the season. He started the team’s last 17 games, after playing in just 11 of their first 30 games. Once he entered the starting lineup in mid-March, he averaged 13.9 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game and the Rockets went 12-5 as they mounted an unexpected (and ultimately unsuccessful) playoff push.
Most impressive, Thompson thrived amidst uniquely hostile circumstances. Although he was the fourth pick in last year’s draft, no player has ever been more poorly prepared for the NBA than Thompson. Essentially, he had never played real basketball before joining the Rockets; the leap from Overtime Elite to the NBA is roughly equivalent to the leap between a TikTok dance challenge and the Royal Ballet.
Whereas most top rookies are pampered and feted, Thompson had to carve out a role on a competitive team. He didn’t have the luxury to be bad on his own terms. A point guard by trade, Thompson was pushed off the ball by Fred Van Vleet and Jalen Green. Without the ball, he became the league’s foremost lurker, materializing in the half-channels that defenses ignore; he couldn’t space the floor, but he could find space within it. At his best, he looked something like a super-charged Josh Hart, compensating for his scattershot jumper with his instinct and aggression.
But while super-charged Josh Hart is certainly a very desirable player, Thompson is so gifted that stalling out at “very desirable player” would be a minor disappointment. As a rookie, he was the best athlete in the NBA, if not in the sport, if not in the world–not even his twin brother, Ausar, can measure up. Thompson’s athleticism has a Build-A-Bear quality to it: he has Ja Morant’s suddenness, Gilgeous-Alexander’s flexibility, Anthony Edwards’s explosiveness and Jimmy Butler’s reflexes.
Beyond simply being able to jump really high and run really fast with his shin really close to the ground, Thompson is able to turn his physical advantages into on-court ones. When he catches the ball on the short roll or in the dunker spot, he’s at the rim before the defense can respond. On the rare occasions that Thompson is given the latitude to play on the perimeter, he easily gets to the rim without a screen. Once he sets off the chain reaction of defensive rotations, he’s a clear-eyed passer who can spot an open teammate on the move. In essence, Thompson begins each possession with a permanent head start—since he’s moving faster than everyone, it’s like he’s thinking faster too.
Although Thompson is a perfectly competent offensive player, he really shines on defense, where he can show off the full scope of his abilities. He’s a hectoring on-ball defender, using his lateral quickness to mirror ball-handlers and his flexibility to evade screeners. Away from the play, his foot speed and instincts enable him to erase large swaths of the court. The only thing holding him back from an All-Defense team is whether he plays enough minutes to qualify for one.
Entering this season, it’s clear that Thompson will play a major role for an ascendant Rockets team; it’s just unclear what that role will be. Now that Reed Sheppard is in the fold, there’s no room on the perimeter for Thompson. Similarly, the frontcourt is clogged by the emergence of Cam Whitmore and the return of a healthy Tari Eason. For the first time in five years, the Rockets have legitimate playoff dreams; they have a deep, adaptable roster that seemingly gets better by the month, led by coaches.
Still, in a seven-game series, the Thunder or Timberwolves or Nuggets would easily flick them aside. While the Rockets have a full toy chest of quality players, they don’t have a single guy who seems like a sure bet to make an All-Star team, let alone an All-NBA one. Jalen Green blurs the line between flying and falling with style; Alperen Sengun has all the skills that make Jokic good, but none of the ones that make him great.
In this sense, Thompson is the Rockets’ best—and maybe only—bet to develop into an elite player. Even if he never fixes his shot, he can become an all-court terror—think: a double-jointed Ben Simmons with a cognitive behavioral therapy worksheet.
Accordingly, with Thompson, the Rockets must balance short-term expediency with long-term potential. For now, Thompson’s immediate utility is tied to succeeding in a small, circumscribed role. It doesn’t make sense to give Thompson lots of pick-and-roll reps when Fred VanVleet is better at it; why would you make Thompson the playmaking hub when Sengun is right there?
But to grow into a star, Thompson needs the opportunity to fail; he can’t become an elite ball-handler if he’s never allowed to handle the ball. If the Rockets want to win games, it makes sense for Thompson to do less. If they want to win championships, they need to let him be so much more.
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