The Houston Rockets have an exciting young core and a defense-first philosophy. Could one of those Rockets one day be first in votes for DPOY? It seems unlikely, given the concurrent arrival of super-prospect Victor Wembanyama. However, the Rockets do have one player in particular who bears a striking resemblance to a former candidate for Defensive Player of the Year.
Rockets Player Comp: Former DPOY Candidate?
The Rockets’ Most Promising Defender
Second-year Rocket Amen Thompson might be a guard, he might be a forward. He might be an offensive focal point, he might be a complementary piece. What he definitely is, is a fantastic defender. Does that sound like anybody else? Thompson’s best comp is 2016 first-overall pick Ben Simmons.
With how Simmons has looked so far with the Brooklyn Nets, Rockets fans might not be thrilled at the comparison. The reality is that Simmons could still be a productive NBA player if not for injury issues. Whether teammates, fans, or front offices would trust him in high-stakes situations would be another matter. But the comparison isn’t based on their personalities. More than anything, it’s based on their defensive capabilities.
Much like his twin brother (the Detroit Pistons’ Ausar Thompson), the Rockets’ Thompson is a world-class defender. He has the wingspan, height, and athleticism to guard positions one through four. What allows him to bring that physical profile to bear are his defensive instincts. He has the potential to be one of the top perimeter defenders in the NBA and can simultaneously complement the rebounding and rim protection of any lineup. All of which lends to the comparison with Simmons.
In the 2020-2021 season, Simmons finished second in DPOY voting. The winner was the Utah Jazz’s Rudy Gobert. That’s not much of an indictment on Simmons considering that it was Gobert’s third of four total snags of the award. Gobert’s Jazz also led the Western Conference in wins that season and the whole association in net rating with the fourth-best defensive rating.
What About the Size Difference?
Thompson isn’t as big as Simmons. Simmons is listed as six-foot-ten, 240 pounds, whereas Thompson is only listed as six-foot-seven, 209 pounds. It’s a significant difference. Healthy Simmons was essentially in the rarefied physical realm of (post-prime) LeBron James and Aaron Gordon. Other players in the league simply can’t match their combination of strength and quickness.
The thing is, Simmons didn’t really use his strength very much. There are various situational reasons for this. Between Tobias Harris and, briefly, Al Horford, the Philadelphia 76ers usually had plenty of options for defending larger opponents. Simmons’ talents ended up being more valuable when deployed against smaller, faster players. Offensively, the commonly speculated reason for Simmons to eschew bullyball was an unwillingness to be sent to the line.
Amen Thompson’s Offensive Game
Simmons’ reluctance to shoot free throws probably had something to do with his career-long 58.9% conversion rate doing so. Unfortunately, another strength of this comparison is that Thompson has started his career at only 68.4%. The good news for Thompson is that he hasn’t yet exhibited much reluctance to keep throwing them up. Now, per 36 minutes, Simmons actually averaged 4.5 free throw attempts per game in his rookie year to Thompson’s 4.0. That works out as a slightly smaller margin of difference than between their rookie-year usage rates, though. Simmons was at 22.3% and Thompson at 18.5%. Simmons’ free throw issues also only seemed to be exacerbated as his career went on, with many of his free throw attempts coming from intentional fouls.
There are other similarities between the players’ offensive games as well. That is, besides not being able to shoot from anywhere else either (Thompson shot an underwhelming 13.8% on 58 attempts from three last year). To their credit, they are both natural facilitators with good passing instincts. However, there’s a gulf that exists between being a natural facilitator and an NBA point guard. Simmons’ handle and passing skills were more promising at this stage of their careers. Even so, Simmons’ own coach wasn’t willing to commit to his suitability for the position at a championship level.
As for Thompson, he shined brightest for the Rockets last season during his spell as a starter at power forward. The idea of a jumbo point guard who forgoes shooting ability in exchange for rim pressure and defense still has some appeal, but finding a fit for it is challenging. The Sixers weren’t a fit because of Joel Embiid. The Rockets probably aren’t a fit because of young stars Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green. Unfortunately, a non-shooting off-ball player can be challenging to accommodate as well.
The Way, Way Up Upside
If Thompson ever figures out any semblance of a functional jump shot, his upside comp could shoot all the way up to Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen. That isn’t just the tired, old, version of Pippen who played in Houston either, but the prime, six championships, Michael Jordan co-star version of Pippen. The point is, though, that even without the jump shot, Thompson’s upside is substantial.
The Last Word
Thompson is probably never going to end up being what it looked like Simmons theoretically should have been. Furthermore, the hope among Rockets fans is undoubtedly that he doesn’t turn into what Simmons is now. However, it’s easy to forget that what Simmons actually was, albeit for a fairly brief period of time, was an All-NBA level star and a legitimate candidate for Defensive Player of the Year. That’s some impressive upside. Thompson has the ups to be able to get there. The DPOY Award comes with a trophy named after a Rocket (Hakeem Olajuwon). Maybe it won’t be too awfully long before another Rockets’ name comes up in the DPOY conversation as well.
