What do you expect from Amen Thompson this season?

[JRoy]

Likely get exposed on the offensive end. He is a poor man's og anunoby.

I would rather have him than OG.

Thompson can actually dribble.

[ShootersShoot]

Some non-shooters can become good shooters. Jason Richardson was a non-shooter entering the league. He later led the league in 3s made.

JRich shot 40% from 3 in his final college season (on 3.7 3pa). He was miles ahead of Amen as a shooter entering the league.

Jrich as a nba soph shot nearly 37% from three.

[Kiss of Death]

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[floppymoose]

Some non-shooters can become good shooters. Jason Richardson was a non-shooter entering the league. He later led the league in 3s made.

JRich shot 40% from 3 in his final college season (on 3.7 3pa). He was miles ahead of Amen as a shooter entering the league.

Jrich as a nba soph shot nearly 37% from three.

Yeah it took him a year to adapt to nba 3. Rookie year he was midrange and dunk only.

[Sane]

I wonder what you guys think happened when teams sagged off him this past season? How come there was not a single story or instance of this issue hurting him like say a Russell Westbrook?

[benhillboy]

I wonder what you guys think happened when teams sagged off him this past season? How come there was not a single story or instance of this issue hurting him like say a Russell Westbrook?

I’m no Rockets fan but I saw him drive into the empty space and force something positive to happen almost half the time, whether drawing a foul, collapsing the defense, making the right pass, or just flat out Deboing a basket in the paint. His BBIQ is head and shoulders above RW even at their current ages

I despise everything in Durant’s game outside of his jumpshot. Yet I think he’s a wonderful fit alongside Amen. He’s historic in the one area Amen is piss poor in. Amen excels at so many things Durant doesn’t, most notably motor.

[Sane]

Which one of OG, Josh Smith, Shawn Marion or Gerald Wallace could dribble like this against the Warriors in the playoffs?

Just watch him ascend with each passing playoff game till he starts to take over in the last few games:

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This ain't no role player - with all due respect to those 4 awesome players. No disrespect to them. Amen is closer to Wade/Butler territory.

[Pablo Escobar]

20/9/7 with 2.5 steals per game.

[FrodoBaggins]

This guy is going to be really damn good, especially if it's true he just lives basketball, and doesn't play around at all.

At minimum, a more physically gifted Shawn Marion. Has a path to top ten player in the league.

More physically gifted? Athletically, perhaps, but Shawn clears Amen in wingspan and standing reach. Marion at 6'6" barefoot/6'7" in shoes has Kawhi/Maxiel kind of length.

Update on this:

I found Shawn Marion's 1999 draft measurement for height & weight in the old DraftExpress database.

Without shoes: 6'6.5"
With shoes: 6'7.75"
Weight: 220

So Shawn's 0.75" taller than Amen, along with a visually significant advantage in wingspan & reach. I'd estimate a standing reach somewhere in the 8'11" to 9'2" range, and a wingspan at least 7'2" if not more.

[MMyhre]

He wasn't impressive in the first game at least.

[Kiss of Death]

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[beeshma]

I think he's going to cause injuries. He'll develop a reputation as Bruce Bowen 2.0 because he injures opposing team players under the guise of playing defense.

[Sane]

I think he's going to cause injuries. He'll develop a reputation as Bruce Bowen 2.0 because he injures opposing team players under the guise of playing defense.

What? Don’t be ridiculous. He’s literally never injured anyone intentionally.

Correct me if I’m wrong but you’re a Warriors or Herro fan, yes? Against Herro he lost his temper and admitted so. Young competitive kid, it happens.

But against the Warriors all the Warriors themselves complimented Amen’s defense. So I’m not sure what leg to stand on.

[beeshma]

I think he's going to cause injuries. He'll develop a reputation as Bruce Bowen 2.0 because he injures opposing team players under the guise of playing defense.

What? Don’t be ridiculous. He’s literally never injured anyone intentionally.

I’m a Butler fan since his Chicago days.

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[TheNG]

I expect him to be as good as Cooper Flagg this year

[NoStatsGuy]

Likely get exposed on the offensive end. He is a poor man's og anunoby.

I would rather have him than OG.

Thompson can actually dribble.

and og can shoot...

If your point is, you want him to handle the ball a lot okay, you have a fair point. If we talking about potential and how you personally envision him as a player he might end up being a better player, we all dont have magic 8balls that predict the future.

But amen thompson right now is a poor mans OG. Thats just a fact. And i know amen is the guy everybody thinks is gonna explode this season (which are fair expectations) and that im supporting the unpopular opinion. but i think you guys need to hold your horses. Players like kawhi, PG, etc. needed 5-6 years to become the players they ended up becomming.

[Sane]

Meanwhile in the NBA GM Survey:

Here’s a rundown of where Thompson was represented:

NBA player most likely to have a breakout season: Amen Thompson at No. 1 (30%)

Best perimeter defender in the NBA: Amen Thompson at No. 3 (22%)

Most versatile defender in the NBA: Amen Thompson at No. 1 (18%)

Most athletic player in the NBA: Amen Thompson at No. 1 (58%)

Fastest NBA player with the ball: Amen Thompson received votes

At just 22 years old and in his second NBA season, Thompson was a 2024-25 All-Defensive First Team selection.

In 42 games as a starter last season, Thompson averaged 16.0 points (56.0% FG), 9.2 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 2.2 turnovers, 1.7 steals, and 1.6 blocks in 35.9 minutes per game. He’s now expected to take on an even greater role as the “lead playmaker” for a Houston squad that lost veteran guard Fred VanVleet to a serious knee injury during the offseason.

Just in case you missed that it's 9.2 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.6 blocks on top of his stellar infinitely switchable defense (as a starter).

He's going to be the best perimeter defender in the NBA, just put money on it. The dude is mad competitive.

I doubt he'll hit league average, but his jumper is looking much improved so far too.

https://sports.yahoo.com/article/gm-survey-rising-rockets-star-144645282.html

[FrodoBaggins]

What's his potential offensive upside more in line with? Westbrook, Wade, or Butler? Those are the similar-sized high-end athletic slashers & playmakers with questionable jump shots. I see that he likes to use jump stops, which is more Jimmy & Dwyane. He's also smoother/more fluid and agile than Westbrook; not as linear/line-drive. The key to his offensive potential is the on-ball rim pressure and interior passing, IMO.

[Chokic]

The amen thompson glaze is wild. He plays like Jimmy butler but with a higher motor.

[cupcakesnake]

What's his potential offensive upside more in line with? Westbrook, Wade, or Butler? Those are the similar-sized high-end athletic slashers & playmakers with questionable jump shots. I see that he likes to use jump stops, which is more Jimmy & Dwyane. He's also smoother/more fluid and agile than Westbrook; not as linear/line-drive. The key to his offensive potential is the on-ball rim pressure and interior passing, IMO.

All those guys had better jumpers though. Russ/Wade/Jimmy were all taking a decent volume of midrange shots and long 2s. They weren't all amazingly efficient right away, but they demonstrated functional pull up shooting off the dribble. Amen hasnt shown that at all. His offense is all inside 10 feet, or catch and shoot 3s. He shot 34% on 1.4 pull ups per game (any distance).

Even though these players didn't start off as good midrange shooters (and Russ fell off completely, right in the middle of his prime), they all still had it in their game, basically from the get go. They were never non-shooters like Amen.

I can see plenty of Jimmy or Russ potential, for sure, but we can't realistically project that if Amen doesn't show us any glimpses of pull up ability. Without the pull up, it's a different archetype of player. He really is more of a 4/5 on offense right now, albeit one who can mix in dribble drives into the paint and drive and kick like a point guard. That dribble drive game get walled off because teams don't even have to worry about him firing a shot off a screen, even if he's 14 feet away from the basket. That's why we saw the Rockets completely shelf Amen's pick & roll possessions in the playoffs, because they don't work against a defense that plans to stop it.

Right now, Amen is a screener, a cutter, and a transition player. Houston gave him pick & roll reps in the regular season, but it wasn't good.
0.84 points per possession, 1.8ppg on 42%fg.

I haven't seen Amen take a pull up in preseason either. He's hit some catch & shoot corner 3s, and his shot still has that ugly hitch.