In a historic draft that saw two twins picked in the top 5, Amen Thompson is now a Houston Rocket, and fans should be excited.
Playing for Overtime Elite, Thompson is a highly talented point guard. Being the 4th draft comes with a lot of expectations. With Houston, the team is looking to win once again, and Thompson is a part of those plans.
So, for Houston, what does Amen bring that the Rockets need? More importantly, does he fit with the Rockets?
Amen Thompson is a Houston Rocket
Amen’s Fit
Point Guard
Amen is an excellent fit in Houston. On a team with scoring wings like Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr., Thompson’s vision is one of his biggest strengths. With Overtime Elite, Amen averaged 5.9 assists, so per 40 minutes he generated 8.5 assists. Houston was 27th in offensive efficiency this past season, only averaging 1.075 points per possession. Thompson is excellent at getting by his defender and excels in transition. Houston runs a lot in their offense, as they are a very young team, so Thompson will help Houston in that department.
Disruptive Defender
He will help Houston defensively as well. He averaged 2.3 steals a game, which per 40 is 3.4. Thompson uses his length and size to steal passes off-ball and start the transition break. His anticipatory skills allow Houston to have more flexibility defensively.
Amen is a very disruptive defender, and he causes turnovers that will allow for more transition opportunities and allow Houston to excel offensively.
Paint Scoring Ability
Amen excels at getting to the basket. At 6’7” with incredible athleticism, the guard will be hard to stop from getting to the basket. Shooting 66.2% from the 2-point range, he excels around the basket. More importantly, Thompson is efficient. Additionally, Thompson finds success from a very solid handle and is patient. His dribbling skills aided in his 5.9 field goals inside the arc on only 8.9 attempts.
Any Concerns for Amen in Houston?
Struggles from Three
Amen is a strong candidate for Houston, but he does have areas of improvement. Amen needs to improve his three-point shooting. He only shot 27.5% from three at Overtime Elite, on only 2 attempts a game. As a point guard, shooting the ball is essential. Amen needs to shoot the ball better to improve spacing for the Rockets’ offense.
Turnovers
Amen is an excellent facilitator, but he did average high amounts of turnovers this past season. He averaged 3.2 turnovers a game, which is 4.6 per 40 minutes. For a point guard, more turnovers are understandable because they have the ball in their hands a lot. However, he will be trusted to make the right decisions in Houston. Therefore, he needs to lessen his turnovers to keep the offense at a good efficiency level.
So How Does Amen Fit?
Amen is a great pick for the Rockets. He addresses a point guard need for the young Houston team and brings disruptive defensive ability. Thompson is a tremendous worker, and there should be confidence that he addresses his deficiencies in the league.
Fans in Houston should be excited about Amen. He is an exciting prospect and hopes to be successful in the NBA, and he fits with the Rockets and their plans.
