{"id":118594,"date":"2025-01-17T11:48:01","date_gmt":"2025-01-17T16:48:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=118594"},"modified":"2026-03-10T22:05:50","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T02:05:50","slug":"rising-houston-rockets-star-amen-thompson-special-co-sign-demar-derozan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/01\/17\/rising-houston-rockets-star-amen-thompson-special-co-sign-demar-derozan\/","title":{"rendered":"Rising Rockets Star Gets ‘Special’ Co-Sign From 6x All-Star"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Houston Rockets<\/a> may very well be one of the most surprising teams in the NBA this season. After missing the playoffs in each of the last four seasons, the Rockets have come back with a vengeance. Nearly halfway through the season, Houston is 27-13 and owns the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. Furthermore, they rank as the fourth-best defense in the league. There is a lot to like about this Houston team. Alperen Sengun<\/a> and Jalen Green<\/a> are playing well, and head coach Ime Udoka<\/a> is bringing the best out of everyone. However, there is another player on the Rockets who may be getting overlooked–Amen Thompson<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In last night’s loss to the Sacramento Kings<\/a>, the second-year forward played a game-high 41 minutes. During the game, he recorded 20 points on 8-for-12 shooting, 10 rebounds, five assists, two steals, and a block. Despite the Rockets walking away with the loss, Thompson received a notable co-sign from Kings star DeMar DeRozan<\/a>, who called him a “special” player.